I'm typing these entries out, summarising them from RT and adding notes where necessary. Typos are gradually being removed.
To locate a play, use Control-F which will bring up a search box. Afternoon dramas up to 31 Dec are now done, including Sat-Sun. (Saturday Drama and Classic Serial) .........ND
1 Jan: Listening to the Dead
3/5 The Great Pretender - A small-time 1950s psychic hungers for fame, despite his inability to read the thoughts of anyone, let alone the woman he works with. By Katie Hims. Narrator - Anne Metcalfe, with Ralf Little, Lizzy Watts, Joanna Monro, Sean Murray, Carolyn Pickles, Carys Eleri, Arthur Hughes, Harry Jardine. Producer Jessica Dromgoole.
2 Jan: Listening to the Dead
4/5 Ruby's Shoes. Ruby Tully grows up unaware of her clairvoyant heritage, and finds that her gift is a curse in the 1970s age of experimental psychology. By Katie Hims. Nell Herrin, Ami Metcalf, Leon Human, Hamza Jeetooa,Lisa Stevenson, David Seddon, Michael Bertenshaw, Carys Eleri, Rosa Yevtushenko, Arthur Hughes, Georgie Fuller. Producer Jessica Dromgoole.
3 Jan: Listening to the Dead
5/5 Tuesday's Child. Tuesday grows up assuming her mother abandoned her, despite the voices in her dreams which try to tell her otherwise. By Katie Hims. Jenny Spark, Rose Hilton Hille, Rosa Yevtushenko, David Seddon, Lisa Stevenson, Carolyn Pickles, Ami Metcalf, Paul Bazely, Joel McCormack, Michael Bertenshaw, Harry Jardine, Georgie Fuller, Sean Murray. Producer Jessica Dromgoole.
4 Jan:Saturday Play - Secrets of the Small Hours
By Nick Dear. One year after she escaped death at the hands of a hitman hired by her husband Justin, Melissa turns up on her estranged spouse's doorstep offering forgiveness. However, before the pair can be reconciled, Justine must admit that he tried to have his wife killed.
Paul McGann, Anastasia Hille, Amara Karan, Joseph Drake. Producer Celia de Wolff.
5 Jan: Classic Serial: The World According to Garp
By John Irving, dram. Linda Marshall Griffiths. 1/3 New England, 1942. Garp is born to nurse Jenny Fields, who raises him alone. As Garp becomes a young man he falls in love with wrestling and the wrestling coach's daughter Helen. Helen will only marry a writer - and so begins Garp's journey into becoming a novelist. Narrator Sheila Hancock, with Tim Key, Rufus Wright, Penelope Wilton, Kevin Eldon, Katherine Jakeways, John Biggins, Geoffrey Palmer, Nathaniel Parker, Felicity Montague. Producer Nadia Molinari.
6 Jan: Joan and the Baron
By Mark Burgess. An unlikely friendship forms between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Joan Littlewood in Bordeaux while they both mourn the death of loved ones. Eleanor Bron as Joan Littlewood, Michael Jayston as the baron, with Andrew Branch, Rachel Atkins, Jonathan Tafler. Producer David Blount.
7 Jan: A Scattering
By Christopher Reid, read by Robert Bathurst. A collection of poems written in response to the death from cancer of the author's wife, the actress Lucinda Gane. They describe the journey from the first diagnosis to the poet's acceptance of his position as one of the 'left-over living'. Producer Kate McAll. Rpt.
8 Jan: On Cigarette Papers
By Pam Zimmermann-Hope. After her mother's death, the poet found a cache of letters and notes in the attic and an envelope marked 'don't throw away'. It contained fragile cigarette papers with poor Russian written on them. Intrigued, she began researching her parents' love story, which started in 1930s Germany. P.Zimmermann-Hope, with Emma Fielding, Greg Wise, Eleanor Bron, Susan Engel, Timothy Morand, Eliza Rayner, Sean Baker, Dolya Gavanski. Producer Janet Whitaker.
9 Jan: A Bobby's Job
Crime drama by Don Webb. A detective constable fears for his livelihood as job cuts are imposed. His father-in-law's security company offers him work uncovering a thief at the company, but it causes him some problems. Mark Jordan as the policeman, with Lisa Brooks, Fiona Clarke, Ian Redford, Christopher Corcoran, Liam Fox. Producer Gary Brown.
10 Jan: Dead in the Water
Thriller by Tony McHale. In a busy fairground, friends Holly and Nicole are recording sounds for a school science project when they overhear snippets of a conversation between two men who sound as if they are plotting a crime. Yasmin Paige and Lily Loveless, with Gary Amers, Jody Latham, Jo Hartley, Kacey Ainsworth, Paul Stonehous, Sinead Michael. Producer Heather Larmour.
11 Jan: Saturday Play: Woman in Mind
By Alan Ayckbourn. 90m. A play about a woman's mental breakdown following a blow to the head, which leads her to encounter an alternative, fantasy family. Lesley Sharp, Ben Miles, Malcolm Sinclair, Carolyn Pickles, Owen Teale, Emily Beecham, John Norton, Harry Jardine. Producer Emma Harding.
12 Jan: Classic Serial: The World According to Garp.
Details as last week. 2/3. Cast:Miranda Richardson, Lee Ingleby, John Guerrasio, Charlotte Emmerson, Lyndsey Marshal, Adam Thomas Wright, Jonathan Keeble, Adam Greaves-Neal, Carys Eleri, Harry Jardine. Producer Nadia Molinari.
13 Jan: The Brick
By Seima Dabbagh. A Palestinian woman discovers some home truths on her way to Jerusalem to run some errands. Sirine Saba, Anton Lesser, Nina Wadia, Souad Faress, Peter Polycarpou, Zubin Varis, Amr El Masry, Georgie Fuller, Jude Edriss. Producer Sarah Bradshaw.
14 Jan: Ambiguous Loss
By Michael Butt. 1/3. A family waits for news of a loved one who has been missing for 16 months. Drama made with the assistance of the charity Missing People. Part 2 tomorrow. Heather Craney, Carolyn Pickles, Joel McCormack, Georgie Fuller, Ewan Bailey, Amy Gonzalez. Producer Toby Swift.
15 Jan: Ambiguous Loss
By Michael Butt. 2/3 No-Man's Land. Sally's husband Aidan disappeared 16 months ago. No-one knows why or where he went. Details as yesterday. Heather Craney, Carolyn Pickles, Joel McCormack, Georgie Fuller, Ewan Bailey, Amy Gonzalez. Producer Toby Swift.
16 Jan: Ambiguous Loss
By Michael Butt. 3/3 - Home. Details as yesterday. Heather Craney, Carolyn Pickles, Joel McCormack, Georgie Fuller, Ewam Bailey, Amy Gonzalez. Producer Toby Swift.
17 Jan: Wildsong
By Joseph Wilde, with a soundtrack by Tim van Eyken. Composed using recordings made on the Somerset Levels. A man tries to find his brother before their father dies. Cast:Tim van Eyken, Joseph Wilde, Carys Eleri, John Norton, Sean Murray, Georie Fuller. Producer Julian May.
18 Jan: Saturday Drama: Four Quartets
By Tom Eliot. 75m. Poems, read by Jeremy Irons. Producer Susan Roberts.
19 Jan: Classic Serial: The World According to Garp
By John Irving, dram. L.M.Griffths. Jenny becomes a nurse again as she helps Garp to put his life back together following a tragic accident. Lee Ingleby, Miranda Richardson, Adam Thomas Wright, Adam Greaves-Neal, Lyndsey Marshal, Jonathan Keeble, John Guerrasio, Emma Fielding, Amanda Hale. Producer Nadia Molinari.
20 Jan: The 40 Year Twitch
By Daniel Thurman. Comedy. Yvonne has lost her job and with it her patience for her husband's obsession - birdwatching. She begins to follow him, thinking that the reason for his hobby is to escape from her. Paula Wilcox, Philip Jackson, Anne Reid, Brian Bowles. Producer Toby Swift.
21 Jan: Paradigm
A very odd comedy by Sean Grundy in which members of a family discover that their lives aren't quite what they thought they were. And lest you think this play is entirely comedic, remember that there is much truth spoken in jest ... Michele Holmes, David Birrell, Lucy Gaskell, Adam Barlow, Rosie Cavaliero, John Biddie, with Sean Grundy as himself. Producer Alison Crawford.
22 Jan:Demon Brother
By Matthew Broughton. Ep. 1 of a 2-part thriller. When Jasper finds his father dead, he also discovers he has a twin brother, Eddie. After the funeral the two brothers decide to swap lives. Jasper/Eddie: Shaun Dingwall, with Valene Kane, Kenneth Cranham, Vera Filatova, Simon Ludders, John Norton. Producer James Robinson.
23 Jan: Demon Brother
By Matthew Broughton. Conclusion. As Eddie begins to fall in love with his brother's wife, he discovers a very unpleasant side to himself. Cast - as yesterday. Producer James Robinson.
24 Jan: The Road to Yalta
By Ian Curteis. The drama re-imagines Feb 1945 and the events surrounding the Yalta conference through the eyes of British spy Donald Maclean. It was a time when Hitler's armies were exhausted and in retreat. World leaders Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met at Yalta, a resort in Soviet Ukraine, to determine the future shape of Europe. Lord Halifax - Christopher Godwin, Balfour - Matthew Marsh, Maclean - Geoffrey Streatfield, Melinda Maclean - Kelly Burke, with David Seddon, Steve Toussaint, Ewan Bailey. Producer Jonquil Panting.
25 Jan: The Moonflask
By Paul Sellar. Crime story. When a Ming vase turns up at an auction house, the attendees on a 'back-to-work' course decide to try their hand at thieving to restore it to its rightful owner. Lee Ross, Ken Bones, Sean Murray, Richie Campbell,David Yip, Laura Molyneux, Michael Bertenshaw, Tony Jayawardena, Marlene Sidaway, Carys Eleri, Matthew Fenton, John Norton, Carolyn Pickles, Harry Jardine. Producer Sally Avens.
26 Jan: Classic Serial: The Warden
By Anthony Trollope, dram. M. Symmons Roberts. From the first of a series of satirical novels published between 1855 and 1867. The gentle Mr. Harding finds his peaceful, privileged life dusrupted when his prospective son-in-law calls into question the large income he receives as warden of Barchester almshouse. Maggie Steed, Tim Piggott-Smith, Andrew Sachs, Claire Price, Malcolm Sinclair, Bryan Dick, Charlotte Emmerson, Georgie Fuller, Sean Murray, Nick Brimble, David Seddon. Producer Charlotte Riches; director Susan Roberts.
27 Jan: Crimes of Mancunia
By Michael Symmons Roberts. Drama in verse, based in the underworld of police informants and criminals in Manchester. Two policemen investigate when a kidnapper asks for very specific amounts of ransom money. Jason Done, Sinead Keenan, James Quinn, Danielle Henry, Beth McCann, Stephen Hoyle, Russell Richardson. Producer Charlotte Riches, director Susan Roberts.
28 Jan: A Bag on Ballyfinch Place
By Deirdre Kinahan, set in Dublin. Maeve begins to make inquiries when the body of a yound woman is found outside her home and conflicting reports circulate about her identity. Maeve's discoveries force her to face her own painful loss. Michelle Fairley, Aidan McArdle, Anamaria Marinca, Carys Eleri, John Norton, Carolyn Pickles.
29 Jan: Karma
By Samina Baig. A shocking discovery is made outside a rural village in India, forcing an elderly couple into the spotlight where they are confronted with a moral dilemna shaped by deeply-embedded attitudes and customs. Kulvinder Ghir, Shobu Kapoor, Jaz Deol, Vineeta Rishi, ADeel Akhtar, Sacha Dhawan, Jerry Dufficy. Producer Elizabeth Allard.
30 Jan: Secure
By Audrey Gillan. When a fifteen-year-old girl is taken into care, she finds a new friend, but she wonders whether she will ever feel secure. Sharon Rooney, Jasmin Riggins, Rebecca Elise, Kenny Blyth, WEndy Seager, Julie Austin, Robin Laing. Producer Gaynor Macfarlane.
31 Jan: Playing for his Life
By John Peacock. Drama based on fact about the German tennis star Gottfried von Kramm, 1909-76, who put his life in danger by refusing to join the Nazi party. He is safe in the public gaze as long as he keeps winning matches. von Kramm played by geoffrey Streatfield, with Paloma Baeza, Frances Jeater, Sam Dale, Nicholas Boulton, William Hope, Geoffrey Whitehead, Simon Treves, Adam Unze, Rachel Atkins, James Joyce. Producer Celia de Wolff.
1 Feb: Saturday Play: Seance on a Wet Afternoon
By Mark McShane; 1961 thriller, dramatized by Adrian Bean. Myra Savage is a medium whose audience of local followers is dwindling. She forms a plot to kidnap the daughter of a well-known businessman, then use her 'powers' to help the police locate the missing girl. But her mental state is far from stable, and problems start to appear... Caroline Strong, Robert Glenister, Carl Prekopp, Nick Underwood, Jasmine Hyde, Lizzy Watts, Gerard McDermott, Jane Whittenshaw. Producer Bruce Young. 60m
2 Feb: Classic Serial- Barchester Towers
By Anthony Trollope; ep 1/3. Dramatised by Nick Warburton. The cathedral town of Barchester anticipates the arrival of a new bishop from London, throwing the community into disarray. Meanwhile the widow Eleanor Bold sees a potential rival in Madeline Neroni. Maggie Steed, Tim Piggott-Smith, Claire Price, Malcolm Sinclair, Richard Lumsden, James Lailey, Joanna Munro, Katherine Parkinson, Joel McCormack, Carolyn Pickles, John Norton. Producer Marion Nancarrow.
3 Feb: Tony Teardrop
By Esther Wilson. 2/2. Humorous but gritty stories based on the experiences of homeless people in Manchester. This tale follws Roz, an addict with four children, and Tony Teardrop, a father of two boys who are living with carers. Tony is hopeful that he can contact his sons and reconnect with them. Siobhan Finneran, Neil Bell, Christine Bottomley, Glenn Cunningham, Deborah McAndrew, Stephen Hoyle, Callum King Chadwick, Ellis Hollins, Lorenzo Rodriguez. Producer Pauline Harris.
4 Feb: Test Case: Mr. C
By Philip Palmer. Mr. C is a person who needs an urgent operation, but he is convinced that it isn't necessary. He won't have his leg amputated. This play is based on interviews from the 1993 court case which changed the relationship between doctors and patients and the way people make decisions about their medical treatments. It is introduced by Deborah Bowman, an academic with knowledge of ethics and law. Her discussion of the case follows the play. Louis Mahoney, David Seddon, Shaheen Khan, Priyanga Burford, Ayesha Antoine, Michael Bertenshaw, Georgie Fuller, John Norton, Sean Murray. Producer Jonquil Panting.
5 Feb: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
By Alexander McCall Smith, from his latest book, "The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon", dramatized by the author. Mr. JLB Matekoni embarks on a quest for self-improvement and Mma Makutsi hides a secret from her old friend. Part 1 of 2. Mma Ramotswe: Claire Benedict, MMa Makutsi: Nadine Marshall, with Ben Onwukwe, Adjoa Andoh, Jude Akuwudike, Maynard Eziashi, Eleanor Crooks, Anna Bengo, Steve Toussaint, Janice Acquah. Producer Eilidh McCreadle.
6 Feb: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Conclusion of yesterday's story. The Agency welcomes a new arrival aganist a backdrop of love, business rivalry and the righting of an old wrong. Mma Ramotswe: Claire Benedict, Mma Makutsi: Nadine Marshall, with Ben Onwukwe, Adjoa Andoh, Jude Akuwudike, Maynard Eziashi, Eleanor Crooks, Anna Bengo, Steve Toussaint, Janice Acquah. Producer Eilidh McCreadle.
7 Feb: Just Dance
By Frances Byrnes, based on real-life stories. A play about a passionate dancer who is in the wrong mental state to perform. He has a final chance to show what he can do on stage, with a big producer in the audience, but he can't cope with the pressure. Then he meets an elderly gentleman who seems able to offer some assistance. John Heffernan, Wyllie Longmore, Alexandra Mathie, Carla Henry, Akeim Toussaint Buck. Producer Polly Thomas.
8 Feb: Saturday Play: The Sleeper
Sci-fi thriller by Michael Symmons Roberts. In a futuristic Britain where society is strained to breaking point by 24-hour wakefulness, a teenage girl with the ability to fall asleep is ruthlessly pursued by the authorities for being subversive. She takes refuge with a wealthy man who says he will protect her. Matthew Beard, Sarah Churm, Henry Devas, Rachel Austin, Jason Done, Maxine Peake, Danielle Henry, Kevin Doyle. Producer Susan Roberts.
9 Feb: Classic Serial: Barchester Towers
2/3 By Anthony Trollope. Things Unsaid. More satire and humorous social comment. Maggie Steed, Tim Piggott-Smith, Claire price, Steve Toussaint, Malcolm Sinclair, Richard Lumsden, Katherine Parkinson, Joanna Monro, James Lailey, Carolyn Pickles, John Norton. Producer Marion Nancarrow.
10 Feb: Floating
By Hugh Hughes. Anglesey floats away from the mainland into the north Atlantic. Producer James Robinson. BBC Wales.
11 Feb: Billions
By Ed Harris. Rpt. of his play where a man arrives home to find that his wife has been replaced with a near-perfect replica provided by her insurance company. Winner of Best Audio Drama broadcast during 2013. Also reviewed by ND. Blake Ritson, Raquel Cassidy, Lizzy Watts, Clare Corbett, Will Howard, Philippa Stanton, Robert Blythe, Michael Shelford, Amaka Okafor. Producer Jonquil Panting.
12 Feb: The Gestapo Minutes
By Adam Ganz. Rpt. Under the Nazis , lawyer Michel Oppenheim is made head of the Jesish community in Mainz. The minutes of his meetings with Schwoerer, a member of the Gestapo, still exist. When the war ends, Schwoerer begs him to supply a testimonial which might save him from the US war crimes trial and execution. Oppenheim has to decide whether he wishes to help the ex-Gestapo member from six years earlier. Oppenheim: Julian Rhind-Tutt, Shwoerer: Ed Stoppard, with Tamzin Griffin and Robin Lustig. Producer Catherine Bailey. Indie (Catherine Bailey Productions)
13 Feb: Rock of Eye
ByAnita Sullivan. Three elderly tailors are making a suit for an up-and-coming politician. It was designed by the mysterious Mrs. White, whom they've never met. As the garment takes shape it begins to have a powerful effect on anyone who comes into contact with it. Allan Corduner, Malcolm Storry, Stephen Marzella, Catrin Stewart, Liza Sadovy, Claire Cage, Richard Nichols. Producer Anita Sullivan.
14 Feb: Bowen and Betjeman
By John Banville. A fictional encounter between writers Elizabeth Bowen and John Betjeman as they meet for lunch in a Dublin hotel during WW2. As they discuss their lives, loves and politics, the story describes 1940s Dublin and the place of the artist in a world at war. Miranda Richardson as EB, Toby Jones as JB, with Nick Dunning as Isaiah Berlin, Nicholas Murchie, Gerard McDermott, Sophie Harkness, Maggie Cronin, Miche Docherty. Producer Gemma McMullan.
15 Feb: Saturday Play: The Big Sleep
1/4. By Raymond Chandler, dram. Robin Brooks, rpt. Adaptation of 1939 novel which introduces the private eye Philip Marlowe. The story focuses on his entanglement with the Sternwood family. Initially, called to their mansion to deal with a blackmailer, the detective discovers that the family has other dark secrets. Toby Stephens as Marlowe, with Kelly Burke, Barbara Barnes, Madeleine Potter, Leah Brotherhead, Sam Dale, Sean Baker, Iain Batchelor, Henry Devas, Jude Akuwudike. Producer Claire Grove.
16 Feb: Classic Serial: Barchester Towers 3/3
More ingenious satire from Anthony Trollope, adapted by Nick Warburton. Maggie Steed, Tim Piggott-Smith, Claire Price, Steve Toussaint, Malcolm Sinclair, Richard Lumsden, Una Stubbs, Katherine Parkinson, Joanna Monro, James Lailey, Carolyn Pickles, John Norton. Producer Marion Nancarrow.
17 Feb: When the Laughter Stops
By Sibusiso Mamba and Daliso Chaponda, with additional material by Ava Vidal. DC and AV are real-life standup comedians. Here they play a married couple. A stand-up comedian returns to her native Africa with her husband in an attempt to revive her career and their marriage. It doesn't work out quite as she planned. Daliso Chaponda, Ava Vidal, Sibusio Mamba, Lucian Msamati, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Tonderai Munyevu, Steve Toussaint. Producer Marion Nancarrow.
18 Feb: McLevy: new series
By David Ashton. Victorian detective series. A turf war breaks out between rival factions of Leith's criminal underworld, and a new Chief Constable arrives. The relationship between McLevy and Jean goes a step further. Brian Cox, Siobhan Redmond, Michael perceval-Maxwell, David Ashton, Sandy Grierson, Gayanne Potter, Simon Tait, James Young, Paul Young, Finlay McLean. Producer Bruce Young.
19 Feb: North of Riga
By Eoin McNamee. A contemporary fable of magic and murder. When a mysterious woman arrives in a small Northern Ireland fishing port and opens a salon, the locals discover she has a curious effect on their lives. The Latvian girls working in the factory say that she is a witch, but no-one knows who she is or where she came from. A young girl meets the hairdresser and befriends her... Branka Katic, Amybeth McNultry; other parts by Ulrika Belogriva, Michael Condron, Julia Dearden, Jo Donnelly, Des McAleer, Natalis Ryumina and Velibor Topic. Producer Heather Larmour.
20 Feb: Burning Desires
By Colin Bytheway. Dramatised version of events in the life of the frenchman Henri Landru, who proposed to ten women between 1914 and 1918 and murdered them all after getting access to their finances. He took each one to his country house, killed and dismembered them and burned them in his kitchen stove. Landru played by David Jason, with Martine McCutcheon, Tom Ellis, Sophie Thompson, Lesley Nicol, Rachel Atkins. Producer Celia de Wolff.
21 Feb: Torchwood: The Lost Files
The Devil and Miss Carew, by Rupert Laight. An alien with an aversion to electricity threatens to take the Earth back to the Dark Ages. John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Kau Owen, Martin Jarvis, Juliet Mills, Hayley J. Williams, James Walsh, Shelley Rees. Producer Kate McAll.
22 Feb: Saturday Play - The Lady in the Lake
By Raymond Chandler, dram. Stephen Wyatt. The fourth Philip Marlowe story; this time he's hired by a wealthy businessman to find his estranged wife. Toby Stephens, Sam Dale, Barbara Barnes, Steve Toussaint, Nathan Osgood, Claire Harry, Lloyd Thomas, Sean Baker. Producer Claire Grove. 90m.
23 Feb: Classic Serial - Pride & Prejudice
By Jane Austen. 1/1. Dram. Charlotte Jones. Mrs. Bennett is determined to see her daughters marry and secure a future for themselves. Amanda Root, Pippa Nixon, Samantha Spiro, David Troughton, Georgie Fuller, Carys Eleri, Rosie Wyatt, Michelle Terry, Jamie Parker, Joshua Maguire, Fenella Woolgar, Sean Murray, Arthur Hughes, Joel MacCormack. Producer Sally Avens.
24 Feb: I am Anonymous
By Mateus Dymek. A computer hacker has vowed tohis wife that he will refrain from messing around online again. However, following the arrest of a friend, the vow becomes harder to keep. Simon Lee Phillips as the hacker Marco, with Keaton Lansley, Leila Arias, Ava Khan, Priyanga Burford, Wilf Scolding, Matthew Watson, Michael Bertenshaw, Carolyn Pickles. Producer Abigail le Fleming.
25 Feb: McLevy
By David Ashton. 2/4. The Cat's Claw. McLevy investigates a series of attacks on down-and-outs in Leith where all of the victims have been scarred by a vicious claw mark. Brian Cox, Siobhan Redmond, Michael Perceval-Maxwell, David Ashton, Finlay McLean, Cal MacAninch, Lesley Hart, John Shedden. Producer Bruce Young.
26 Feb: Jonesy
By Tom Wells. Jamie Jones, chronic asthma sufferer, is determined to pass his GCSE in Physical Education. He is asked to make a radio programme about it. Excellent comic tale. Matthew Tennyson as Jamie, with Harry Jardine as Deano, Priyanga Burford as Miss Poole, Caryls Eleri as Shannon, Georgie Fuller as Lauren, Sean Murray, Joel McCormack, Arthur Hughes as Tommo, Carolyn Pickles, and Matt Baker as himself. Producer Jessica Dromgoole.
27 Feb: Pixie Juice
By Ed Harris. A woman struggles to run her father's tattoo parlour and deal with his failing sight. Then she is visited by a fairy creature. It might change her luck, but things don't run smoothly. Indira Varma, Peter Polycarpou, Paul Bazely, Louise Brealey, Will Howard, Priyanga Burford, Carolyn Pickles. Producer Jonquil Panting.
28 Feb: Torchwood - The Lost Files
By Ryan Scott. A mishap on the Severn bridge causes the SUV (??-Ed) to plunge into the water, where the team picks up a mysterious distress signal. After pulling some strings with the US government, Jacksecures a place on board the USS Calvin, and leads Gwen and Ianto on an expedition into the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean. John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Erin Bennett, Angelo Tiffe, John Francis Harries, John Lee. Producer Kate McAll.
1 Mar: Saturday Play: Farewell My Lovely
By Raymond Chandler; dramatised by Robin Brooks. When Philip Marlowe sees a huge, loudly dressed man casually throwing a bouncer out onto the the pavement as he goes into a bar, he knows it's time to walk away, so he follows him inside. The big guy is Moose Molloy, recently released from an eight year prison sentence and now on the hunt for his old sweetheart, a red-haired nightclub singer named Velma Valento. Marlowe follows a trail which includes a stick-up, blackmail, an irresistible blonde, a psychic, drugs and murder, and it leads him all the way to the top of a corrupt state of California. Farewell My Lovely was the second of Chandler's novels featuring Marlowe. It was adapted for the big screen three times. Rpt. from 19 Feb 11.
Cast: Philip Marlowe ..... Toby Stephens,
Moose Malloy ..... Richard Ridings,
Mrs Grayle ..... Madeleine Potter,
Morrison ..... Pat Starr,
Randall ..... Jude Akuwudike,
Nulty/ Amthor ..... Sean Baker,
Jessie Florian ..... Joanna Monro,
Galbraith ..... Lloyd Thomas,
Marriott ..... Iain Batchelor,
Ann Riordan ..... Claire Harry,
Sonderborg ..... Adeel Akhtar,
Laird Brunette/ Second Planting ..... Sam Dale.
Directed by Mary Peate.
Adapted by Robin Brooks.
2 Mar: Classic Serial: Pride & Prejudice
Jane Austen, dram. Charlotte Jones. 1/3. 2/3 Elizabeth is determined to hate Mr Darcy but finds her cousin's attentions more vexing.
3 Mar: Porcelain: The Trial for the Killing of Sophie Lancaster
Drama-doc with dramatised scenes by Ian Kershaw. Sophie Lancaster was a young student who was attacked in Stubbeylee Park, Bacup, Lancashire. Sophie suffered fatal injuries while cradling her boyfriend Rob's head in an attempt to protect him from an attack by a group of youths. Rob survived but Sophie went into a coma and never recovered. The programme contains interviews with Sophie's mother. Melanie Hill, Robery Haythorne, Conrad Nelson, Terence Mann, Henry Devas, Samantha Power, Reece Noi. Produced by Susan Roberts.
4 Mar: McLevy
3/4. By David Ashton. A Sore Convulsion. An expansion of the docks threatens to change Leith forever. It also brings a visitor with painful revelations about Jean Brash's childhood. Brian Cox, Siobhan Redmond, Michael Perceval-Maxwell, David Ashton, Richard Greenwood, Emma Currie, Paul Young, Finlay McLean, Stewart Campbell, Patricia Kavanagh; producer Bruce Young.
5 Mar: Day Release
By Peter Jukes. Frank is a double murderer allowed out of prison for a series of days before being released on licence. He's been incarcerated since the 80s, and things in the real world have changed. Lenny Henry as Frank; producer Mary Peate.
6 Mar: Andy Warhol's Wig
By David Lemon. Thomas, a nerdy teenager studying art, worships an eccentric artist from the sixties whom no-one seems to have heard of. As part of a student assignment, he visits his hero and gets tangled up in an unexpected adventure. Joal MacCormack, David Schofield, Carys Eleri, Priyanga Burford, Arthur Hughes, David Seddon, Carolyn Pickles, Harry Jardine, Georgie Fuller. Producer Marc Beeby.
7 Mar: Torchwood - The House of the Dead
3/3. By James Goss. The brewery has called 'time' and it's the last night at The House of the Dead; the most haunted pub in Wales. They're going to hold a seance. That's a bad idea. Recorded at The Invisible Studios, by Mark Holden and mixed at BBC Wales by Nigel Lewis. Cast: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Rosalind Ayres, Bradley Freegard, John Francis Harries, Lucy Davis, Moira Quirk, Shelley Rees. Producer Kate McAll. BBC Wales.
8 Mar: Saturday Play: Playback
By Raymond Chandler, dram. Stephen Wyatt, rpt. 90m. Philip Marlowe follows a mysterious woman to a seaside town, unaware of the identity of his employer or why he is being paid to follow her. Toby Stephens, Sarah Goldberg, Iain Batchelor, Sean Baker, John Guerassion, Sam Dale, Claire Harry. Producer Claire Grove. Director Sasha Yevtushenko.
9 Mar: Classic Serial: Pride & Prejudice
By Jane Austen, dram. Charlotte Jones. 3/3. Elizabeth realizes she has misjudged Wickham's character, and the charming cad is about to bring more shame on her family. As the Beenets and their associates seek to save Lydia from scandal, a confused Lizzy wonders whether she was right to refuse Darcy's offer of marriage. Narrator - Amanda Root, with Pippa Nizon, Jamie Parker, Lydia Wilson, Georgie Fuller, Samatha Spiro, Carys Eleri, Joshua Maguire, Fenella Woolgar, Carolyn Pickles, David Troughton, Joel McCormack, Priyanga Burford, Steve Toussaint, Toby Jones, Katherine Rose Morley. Producer Sally Avens.
10 Mar: The Siege of Musa Qala
By Adrian Bean. Drama-doc examining the battle between Taliban insurgents and British soldiers starved of supplies in the Afghan town of Musa Qala in 2006. The story is told from the point of view of locals. Oliver Lee, Paul Copley, Claire Cage, Matthew Gravelle, Phylip Harries, Steffan Rhodri, Eiry Thomas. Producer James Robinson.
11 Mar: McLevy - A Secret Life
4/4. By David Ashton. Riots break out on the streets of Leith. Meanwhile, McLevy's relationship with Jean unexpectedly gets a lot more serious. Brian Cox, Siobhan Redmond, Michael Perceval-Maxwell, David Ashton, Richard Greenwood, Emma Currie, Paul Young, Martin McBride, Anne Downie, John Buick, Sarah McCardie. Producer Bruce Young.
12 Mar: The Genesis Rock
By Peter Arnott. A former astronaut searches for some ancient remains on Mount Ararat. At a key moment he falls and breaks his leg. When he makes an important find, he falls and breaks his leg. He can't move. How will he report his find to the authorities back in the USA? Kerray Shale as the astronaut, with John Chancer and John Arnold. Producer David Ian Neville.
13 Mar: The Last Ballad of Reading Jail
By Mike Walker. A look back over the 170 years of Reading Jail's existence, written to mark its closure. The play touched on miscarriages of justice, children incarcerated for petty crimes, the hangman explaining how the 'drop' is calculated (the choice being between a quick painless death and slow strangulation), and an encounter with the abortionist Amelia Dyer, the Ogress of Reading Gaol. Tony Peters, in his RT review, commented that the tales were chilling and depressing... 'time without hope or end'.... The visitor was played by Annette Badland, Oscar Wilde by Ifan Meredith, along with Jonathan Forbes, Jimmy Akingbola, Gerard Horan and Neil Herrin. Producer - Duncan McLarty.
14 Mar: Dividing the Union
By James Graham. A play which looks at might happen if Scotland votes 'yes' to independence. David Cameron and Alex Salmond, the man who permitted Scotland to be desecrated Scotland by wind turbines, meet in Edinburgh to thrash out some of the detail of important policies. Where will the nuclear deterrent be kept (at the moment it is in Scotland)? How will the national debt be split? David Cameron - Greg Wise, Alex Salmond - Greg Hemphill, Robert - David Jackson Young, with Crawford Logan and Cathleen McCarron. Producer David Stenhouse.
15 Mar: Saturday Play: Rebus: Black & Blue
By Ian Rankin, dram. Chris Dolan. Rebus probes the death of a North Sea oil worker. The inquiry overlaps with the hunt for a serial killer. 1/2. 60m. Ron Donachie, Iain Robertson, Gayanne Potter, Simon Tait, Irene Allan, Simon Donaldson, Mark McDonnell, Natalie Bennett, John Kazek, Juliet Cadzow, Laurie Ventry. Producer Bruce Young.
16 Mar: Classic Serial - Great Escape: The Justice
This isn't a serial, but a one-off play; a repeat (from 2013) of the true story of how the British government planned to avenge the murders of the fifty RAF officers who tunneled out of the German POW camp known as Stalag Luft 3, as depicted in the Hollywood classic The Great Escape. A team of RAF investigators searches postwar Germany to bring the killers to justice.
Sqn Ldr McKenna ........ Stephen Tompkinson, Nixon ........ Gunnar Cauthery, Schulmann ........ Ewan Bailey, Max Wielen ........ Nicholas Murchie, Emil Schulz ........ Rick Warden, Oberst von Lindeiner ........ Robert Blythe, Roger Bushell ........ Ben Crowe, Paul Brickhill ........ Michael Shelford, Nils Fuglesang ........ Will Howard, Marie ........ Amaka Okafor, Gluck ........ Paul Stonehouse, Angela Schulz ........ Hannah Wood, Producer ..... Jonquil Panting. 60m.
17 Mar: A Kidnapping,1
By Andy Mulligan; an indie production from Goldhawk Essential, set in the Philippines and recorded on location. 1/3. Two British teachers working at an international school take part in a plan to kidnap the young son of a prominent local politician. The plan does not go entirely as they wish... Daniel Ryan and Jade Matthew as the teachers, with mainly local actors...Art Acuna, Nacio Samonte, Jane Fisher, Geraldine Tan, Bart Guingona, Roselyn Perez, Leo Rialp, Amiel Mendoza, Madeleine Nicolas, Joel Trinidad, Andy Mulligan, Paulo Rodriguez, Francis Matheu, Seth Argar, Rachel Greenhow, Sam Barlongay, Colin Briggs, Owen Bennett-Jones, Andrew North, Lyse Doucet, Rona Lou San Pedro and Max Adarme. Sound design by Steve Bond, music composed by Sacha Putnam; producer Nadir Khan, director John Dryden.
18 Mar: A Kidnapping, 2
See yesterday's entry. The plan begins to fall apart.
19 Mar: A Kidnapping, 3
The plan is in pieces. Can the perpetrators evade their pursuers?
20 Mar: Rumpole
1/2. Rumpole and the Old Boy Net. By John Mortimer, adapted by Richard Stoneman. Rumpole's wife is worried about which public school their son should attend. Meanwhile Rumpole has his head turned by his new, attractive female assistant. Benedict Cumberbatch as Rumpole, with Jasmine Hyde as his wife, Nigel Anthony as Erskine-Brown, Ewan Bailey as Sir Cuthbert, Cathy Sara as Phillida Trant, Stephen Critchlow as the judge and Stehen Lucas. Producer - Catherine Bailey. Indie (Catherine Bailey).
21 Mar: Rumpole
2/2. Rumpole and the Sleeping Partners. Rumpole is in disgrace after he gets drunk. He sleeps in his chambers for the night. He asks his new assistant to help him with the defence of a man who has been accused of attempted murder. Production details - see yesterday's entry..... and am I alone in disliking the irritating musical jingle in these otherwise excellent plays?
22 Mar: Saturday Play - Rebus: Black & Blue
By Ian Rankin. 2/2. Rebus investigates the death of an oil worker, but he becomes a suspect in a police hunt. Production details - see last Saturday. Additional cast member: Stevie Hannan as Stanley Toal.
23 Mar: Classic Serial - The Prince
By Jonathan Myerson. 500 years after Machiavelli's death, he appears before an infernal court to appeal against the harsh treatment his works have received. For those not in the know, he was a diplomat and philosopher. Damian Lewis as Machiavelli, with Nigel Cooke, Christian Rodska, Helen McCrory, Meera Syal, Joseph Kloska and Theo Fraser Steele. Producer Clive Brill. Indie (Pacificus).
24 Mar: Hamlet, 1
By Shakespeare, split into five episodes of 45 minutes. Brave of the BBC to split this classic stage play into 5 episodes and broadcast it on radio. There are only minor edits; there was no editor credit in RT. Comment on the plot is superfluous; if you don't know it, look on Wikipedia. Jamie Parker, David Seddon, Paul Hilton, Anastasia Hille, James Laurenson, Tom Mison, Lizzie Watts, Robert Blythe, Ben Crowe, Michael Shelford, Carl Prekopp, Harry Myers, Rick Warden, Will Howard, Nicholas Murchie, Hannah Wood. Producer Marc Beeby.
25 Mar: Hamlet, 2
26 Mar: Hamlet, 3
27 Mar: Hamlet, 4
28 Mar: Hamlet, 5
29 Mar: Saturday Play: The Heroic Pursuits of Darleen Fyles
By Esther Wilson, ad. Joy Wilkinson. The story of a woman with learning disabilities struggling with life in sheltered accommodation away from her mother. Donna Lavin as Darleen, with Claire Rushbrook, Edmund Davis, Sioshan Finneran, Craig Cheetham, Sue Kelly. Producer Pauline Harris.
30 Mar: Classic Serial - The Divine Comedy, 1: Inferno
By Dante, dram. Stephen Wyatt. From the epic 700-year-old poem telling of a man's journey through hell, purgatory and paradise. The imagined Dante finds himself in the midst of a dark forest, on the brink of suicide, aged 35, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue comes in the form of the shade of the poet Virgil, who leads Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife. This play is described in more detail on the reviews 2014 page. Blake Ritson as Dante the poet, the older Dante by John Hurt, with David Warner as Virgil, Sam Dale, Michael Bertenshaw, Priyanga Burford, David Cann, Clive Hayward, Steve Toussaint, Cassie Layton. Producers Marc Beeby and Emma Harding.
31 Mar: Chiwawa
By Melissa Murray. (I thought it was spelled 'Chihuahua'- Ed). When a writer is found to have written scathing reviews of his rivals' work, his wife persuades his assistant to take the blame, with unexpected consequences. Pippa Nixon, Fenella Woolgar, Michael Bertenshaw, Cassie Layton, Elaine Claxton, Clive Hayward, Heather Craney. Producer Marc Beeby (who seems to have had a hand in 7 of the 8 plays broadcast in the afternoons since last Monday).
1 Apr: Silk - The Clerk's Room, 1. Jake
By Mick Collins. 1/3. A TV spin-off. Set in the clerks' room of a legal practice. Jake, a young clerk, gets into trouble after making a rash promise to a friend. Theo Barklem-Biggs, Neil Stuke, Jessica Hardwick, John MacMillan, Amy Wren, Anthony Welsh, Carolyn Pickles, Priyanga Burford. Producer Sasha Yevtushenko. Next episode on 8 Apr.
2 Apr: The Great British Bridge Scandal
By Deborak Davis. Set in 1965. British bridge players were accused of cheating by signalling to each other at the World Bridge Finals in Buenos Aires. The British Bridge Federation set up an inquiry to find out whether there was any truth in the allegation. Nick Waring, Stephen Critchlow, Laurel Lefkow, Clive Hayward, David Cann, Michael Bertenshaw, Jot Davies. Producer Tracey Neale.
3 Apr: The Lighthouse
By Alan Harris. Two lighthouse keepers go to work on a remote lighthouse off the Pembrokeshire coast. Problems arise. The drama is based on a true story. Howell - Paul Rhys, Griffith - Ifan Huw Dafydd. Producer James Robinson.
4 Apr: Portrait of Winston
A repeat of Jonathan Smith's play about Graham Sutherland's infamous portrait of Winston Churchill. Clementine Churchill had one of the copies, which she burnt. Winston - Ben Whitrow, Clementine - Diane Fletcher, the artist - Dan Stevens, Kathleen Sutherland - Katherine Igoe. Other roles played by Gerard McDermott, James Lailey, Carl Prekopp. Producer Bruce Young.
5 Apr: Saturday Play: Payment Deferred
By C.S.Forester, dram. Paul Mendelson. In the series London Noir, ep. 1 of 3: Mystery thriller written at the beginning of CSF's career. William Marble, a family man, has money problems and in danger of losing his house and job. Then an unexpected visit tempts him into crime. Narrator - Greg Wise, with Sam Dale as William, Rebecca Lacey as his wife, Teresa Gallagher, Nick Underwood, David Thorpe, Sam Cummings, Emily Dolbear. Producer David Ian Neville.
6 Apr: Classic Serial - The Divine Comedy
Dante, dram. Stephen Wyatt. 2/3. Dante continues up Mount Purgatory, where he meets some souls who have begun their route to betterment and eventual salvation. Blake Ritson as Dante the poet, Older Dante by John Hurt, with David Warner as Virgil, Sam Dale, Michael Bertenshaw, Priyanga Burford, David Cann, Clive Hayward, Steve Toussaint, Carolyn Pickles, Hattie Morahan, Cassie Layton. Producers Marc Beeby and Emma Harding.
7 Apr: Waiting for the Boatman
By Stephen Wakelam. A painter arrives in Naples looking for his mentor Caravaggio, but he's not there. As he searches he finds that the artist has led a dangerous and chaotic life. Rpt. from 2012. Cast: Mario Minniti . . . . . David Tennant, Piero . . . . . Anton Lesser, Abraham Vinck . . . . . Peter Hamilton Dyer, Cecco . . . . . Joe Dempsie, Marchesa di Colonna . . . . . Tracy Wiles, Guard . . . . . Harry Livingstone. Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko. Editor: Colin Guthrie. Studio Managers (SMs): Colin Guthrie, Keith Graham, Alison Craig. Production Coordinator: Nicole Fitzpatrick.
8 Apr: Silk - The Clerk's Room, 2. Bethany
By Janice Okoh. Ep. 2/3. A junior clerk comes under pressure when she accidentally gives an important case to the wrong person. She has to give the man some assistance. Amy Wren, Neil Stuke, Theo Barklem-Biggs, Charles Edwards, Miranda Raison, Flamina Cinque, Priyanga Burford, Carolyn Pickles, Tracy Wiles, Michael Bertenshaw, Matthew Watson. Producer Sasha Yevtushenko.
9 Apr: The Kneebone Cadillac
By Carl Grose. Rpt. from 2011. The Kneebones have hard lives, weird vehicles and a love of Country and Western music. When scrap dealer Jed Kneebone dies his three children are left in serious trouble. Could the legendary Boneshaker Stock Car Races be the answer? The United Downs Stock Car Races near St Day in Cornwall really do exist. Lots of old bangers, armoured trucks and souped-up hearses enter the Blockbuster . The play takes a little license in terms of the prize-money but everything else is real. Cast: Maddy...Alex Tregear, Slick...Carl Grose, Dwight...Ed Gaughan, Hooper Munroe...Charles Barnecut, Phylis Vanloo...Amanda Lawrence, Ennis...Joseph Kloska. Producer Claire Grove.
10 Apr: The Falcon & the Hawk
By Helen Macdonald. A man who observes wild peregrine falcons and a woman who cares for a captive-bred goshawk gradually become linked. J.A.Baker - David Birrell, Helen MacDonald as herself, Gemma Lawrence as young Helen. Producer Tim Dee.
11 Apr: Blood Count
By Ian Smith. The final collaboration of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, culminating in the jazz piece 'Blood Count'. The play imagines that in the final stages of his illness, Billy left hospital to attend the recording session. The Duke - Clarke Peters, Strayhorn -Don Gilet, with Ashleigh and Steve Toussaint. Produced by Martin Smith. Musicians: Matt Horne, Andrew Cleyndert, Dave Newton, Ian Smith, Alan Barnes.
12 Apr: Saturday Play: Plain Murder
By C.S.Forester, dram. Paul Mendelson. In the series London Noir, ep. 2 of 3: Mystery thriller written at the beginning of CSF's career. This one is a psychological thriller set in the office of a London advertizing agency. Three of the employees have been caught taking bribes, and a colleague threatens to go to the boss. It is a time of high unemployment, and finding another job would probably be impossible. One of the three suggests a way out; a murder disguised as an accident. Cast: Greg Wise as narrator, with Bryan Dick, Susie Riddell, Crawford Logan, David Seddon, Christopher Webster, David Holt, Cassie Layton, Impogen Barnes. Producer David Ian Neville. (.....some people may remember that C.S.F. wrote the 'Hornblower' naval stories - Ed.
13 Apr: Classic Serial - The Divine Comedy
By Dante, dram. Stephen Wyatt. The journey comes to its final stage, as Beatrice leads Dante through the various parts of Paradise and into the presence of God. As they go from level to level, they meets some souls who have achieved blessedness. Blake Ritson as Dante the poet, Older Dante by John Hurt, with David Warner as Virgil, Sam Dale, Michael Bertenshaw, Priyanga Burford, David Cann, Clive Hayward, Steve Toussaint, Carolyn Pickles, Hattie Morahan, Cassie Layton. Producers Marc Beeby and Emma Harding.
14 Apr: Tempting Faith
By Sean Moffatt. When Faith's car is stolen she persuades the hapless Martin into a high-speed car chase, with catastrophic results. Faith - Karen Ardiff, Martin -Patrick Fitzsymons, with B.J.Hogg, Luke Griffin, Dawn Bradfield and Seanin Brennan. Producer Eoin O'Callaghan.
15 Apr: Silk - The Clerks' Room, 3: John
By Mick Collins, from an original idea by Janet Okoh. John is caught in the crossfire between head clerk Billy Lamb and practive manager Harriet Hammond, who have decided to conspire against each other. As second-in-command, John's opinions count, and he's soon forced to take sides. John - John Macmillan, Billy - Neil Stuke, Herriet - Miranda Raison, Sara- Jimmy Spark, Bethany - Amy Wren, Neville - Sean Murray, Judge - Steve Toussaint. Producer Sasha Yevtushenko.
16 Apr: Bring Her Back
By Andy Walker. A sci-fi thriller set in Britain in the near future, where there is a virus raging through the country. A doctor is working on a vaccine, but only key workers can receive it, because his work must remain secret. What happens if a loved one becomes ill? The doctor - Jason Done, Moira - Gillian Kearney, Eleanor - Erin Shanagher, with Melissa Jane Sinden, Rina Mahoney and Jonathan Keeble. Producer Gary Brown.
17 Apr: The Interrogation - Colin
By Roy Williams. 1/3. Colin's wife and daughter have been brutally attacked in their home, but nobody appears to have broken in. Kenneth Cranham as DS Matthews, Alex Lanipekun as DC Armitage, with Michael Bertenshaw as Colin and Ami Metcalf as Gemma. Music by David Pickvance; producers Jessica Dromgoole and Mary Peate.
18 Apr: You Drive Me Crazy
By Paul Dodgson, who stars as himself in a drama where he writes about his fear of driving. Rpt from about a year ago. He reminisces on his motoring experiences, from the occasions he spent in the back seat of his parents' car as a child to the stage when anxiety took hold. Paul Dodgson, with Ewan Bailey as his Dad and Sally Orrock as Mum. Producer Kate McAll.
19 Apr: Saturday Play: The Pursued
By C.S.Forester, dram. Paul Mendelson. In the series London Noir, ep. 3 of 3: Mystery thriller written at the beginning of CSF's career. This one is about Marjorie, a housewife, who returns to her home in Peckham to find her sister Dorothy lying dead with her head in the oven. The coroner's verdict is suicide, but Dorothy's tough-minded mother is not convinced, and believes her daughter's cheating husband has turned to murder. Narrator - Greg Wise, with Sophie Thompson as Marjorie, Ben Crowe as Ted, Tessa Peake-Jones as the tough mother, Richard Lumsden as george, Carl Prekopp as Sergeant Hale, Charlie Abbit as Derrick and Cassie Layton as Dot. Produced by David Ian Neville.
20 Apr: Classic Serial - Ring for Jeeves
By P.G.Wodehouse, dram. Archie Scottney. 1/2. A Jeeves story where there is no Bertie Wooster; he's on a course which teaches the idle rich how to function in the real world, leaving Jeeves to seek temporary employment with Bertie's friend Bill Rowcester, a penniless earl who has been forced to earn some brass as a self-employed bookie. Unfortunately he failed to lay off a big bet, and now he's in the sights of big-game hunter Captain Biggar. Martin Jarvis plays Jeeves, with Rufus Sewell, Joanne Whalley, Glenne Headley, Ian Ogilvy, Jamie Bamber, Martin Jarvis, Moira Quirk, Daisy Hydon and Matthew Wolf. Producer Rosalind Ayres. Indie (Jarvis & Ayres).
21 Apr: Tittle Tattle
By Martin Hesford; comedy based on two of the 'Carry On' actors. Kenneth Williams, taking his mother out for afternoon tea, bumps into actor Charles Hawtrey, who is meeting a director about a film role. Kenneth Williams - Adam Godley, Hawtrey - David Charles, Kenneth's mother - Janine Duvitsky, Alice Hawtrey - Marcia Warren, with Hamilton Berstock, Lisa Allen and Eddie Capli. Producer Gary Brown.
22 Apr: Road to Venice
By Douglas Livingstone. Before she remarries, an elderly widow goes on a hen party to Venice with two old school friends. Comedy recorded during the Regata Storica in Venice. (.....good to have another Douglas Livingstone play - Ed. ) Barbara Flynn, Gabrielle Lloyd and Angela Pleasance as the three women, Ronald Pickup as Simon, with Vincenzo Nicoli and Eugenia Caruso. Producer - Jane Morgan.
23 Apr: The Surprising Effect of Miss Scarlett Rosebud
By David Nobbs. Comedy drama; two retired teachers share a house and have done so for years ...then a former student bursts into their lives nad suddenly, everything changes. Linda Marlowe and Christine Absalom as the two teachers, with Deeivya Meir as the former student, Ashley Kumar as Cuthbert, Elaine Claxton as Melanie and David Cann as the chairman ... producer Peter Kavanagh.
24 Apr: The Interrogation - Rape
By Roy Williams. 2/3. The defendant in a rape case is found innocent, but Max is unable to stop thinking about the case. Kenneth Cranham, Alex Lanipekun, Gawn Grainger, Dinah Stabb. Producers Jessica Dromgoole and Mary Peate.
25 Apr: Demolition
By Eugenoi Amaya. Set in Spain, today; an ex-pat living on the Spanish coast uncovers a dark underbelly of political and financial corruption when his home is threatened with demolition by the local authority ahead of elections. He has to make some difficult choices. Recorded on location. Greg Hicks as the ex-pat, Christina Ulfsparre as his daughter, with Craig Stevenson, Jorge Machan, Lola Casamayor, Gabriel Garbisu, Julio Velez, Cristina Romero, David Luque, Frank Smith, Juan Carlos Rubio and Iara Solano. Producer Nicolas Jackson. Indie (Afonica Sound).
26 Apr: Saturday Play - The Guts
By Roddy Doyle, dram. Peter Sheridan. Jimmy Rabbitte's life is turned upside-down when he finds he is seriously ill. Nevertheless a shortened life doesn't mean he can't live his dream. David Wilmot, Dawn Bradfield, Gerry O'Brien, Conleth Hill, Lian Carney, Patrick Fitzsymons, Stuart Graham, Ali White, Lloyd Cooney, Gavin Drea, Kelly Thornton, Scott Graham. Producer Gemma McMullen; director Eoin O'Callaghan.
27 Apr: Classic Serial - Ring for Jeeves
By P.G.Wodehouse, dram. Archie Scottney. Lots of convoluted schemes surface, to enable Bill to pay back the money he owes to Captain Biggar. Martini Jarvis plays Jeeves, with Rufus Sewell, Joanne Whalley, Glenne Headley, Ian Ogilvy, Jamie Bamber, Martin Jarvis, Moira Quirk, Daisy Hydon, Matthew Wolf, Darren Richardson, Christopher Neame. Producer Rosalind Ayres. Indie (Jarvis & Ayres).
28 Apr: Higher
By Joyce Bryant, 1/3: The Price of Partnership. Repeat. Comedy about the worst university in the country; more concerned about making 'robust' decisions, restructurings, and being seen to jump through hoops than actually doing the job properly ( ......now where have I seen that before? - Ed) The new Dean of Research Development presses Hayborough to form partnerships with foreign schools, but the plan is compromised when academic scob and sociopath Professor David Poll is assigned to lead the project. Sophie Thompson, Jonathan Keeble, Jeremy Swift, Caroline Burns Cooke and Marion G Day. Producer Gary Brown.
29 Apr: Higher
By Joyce Bryant, 2/3: Restructure. Rpt. The Vice-Chancellor prepares to restructure three faculties, which means that one of the deans will be made redundant. Jim Blunt is determined that it won't be him, but he hasn't realized the tactics which will be used by the others. Jonathan Keeble, Sophie Thompson, Jeremy Swift, Lloyd Peters, Melissa Jane Sinden, Cyril Nri, Russell Dixon, Hamilton Berstock. Producer - Gary Brown.
30 Apr: Higher
By Joyce Bryant, 3/3. Rebrand, Relaunch. Rpt. The university brings in image consultants to cover up the shambles following the disastrous dealings with an African dictator. Meanwhile, Roland Chubb sets his sights on the most highly-paid job on the University site - that of Vice-Chancellor. Sophie Thompson, Jonathan Keeble, Lloyd Peters, Brigit Forsyth, Malcolm Reaburn, Luke Jerdy. Producer - Gary Brown.
1 May: The Interrogation - An Old Schoolfriend
By Roy Williams. 3/3. Sean agrees to go for a drink with an old pal without realising the consequences. Kenneth Cranham, Alex Lanipekun, Cush Jumbo and Clive Hayward. Producers Jessica Dromgoole and Mary Peate.
2 May: The Right Call
By Sally Griffiths. Following a sudden move to Swansea, Jo and Adrian are forced to reassess their relationship with their teenage daughter. Anastasia Hille and Michael Bertenshaw as the stressed parents, with Tamsin Topolski as the daughter, Eiry Thomas as Mair and Carys Eleri as Becky. Producer Gemma Jenkins.
3 May: Saturday Play: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
A James Bond story, based on the novel by Ian Fleming, 90m. Dramatization by Archie Scottney. Bond is involved in a convoluted plot to capture and destroy Blofeld (baddie from another of the Bond books). The love interest is provided by Tracy, emotionally disturbed daughter of Mafia boss Draco. Bond - Toby Stephens, Blofeld - Alfred Molina, Irma - Joanna Lumley, Draco - Alex Jennings, Tracy - Lisa Dillon, M - John Standing, Miss Moneypenny - Janie Dee, with Lloyd Owen, Julian Sands, Joanna Cassidy, Clare Dunne, Lucy Phelps, Katherine Manners, Hannah Donaldson, JohnHudson, Nigel Anthony, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Darren Richardson, John Baddeley, Jon Glover, Matthew Wolf, Narrator - Martin Jarvis. Indie; Jarvis & Ayres. Produced by Rosalind Ayres, director - Martin Jarvis.
4 May: Classic Serial: Dr. Thorne
By Anthony Trollope; dram. Michael Symmons Roberts. 1/3. A man keeps the parentage of his neice secret. Then a proposal puts the Greshambury estate at risk. The parentage has to be revealed. Iain Glen as Dr. Thorne, Maggie Steed as Mrs. Baxter, Douglas Booth as Frank, Pippa Bennett-Warner as Mary; with Ron Cook, Liza Tarbuck, Michael Bertenshaw and Hattie Morahan. Producer Charlotte Riches; director Susan Roberts.
5 May: A Shoebox of Snow
By Julie Mayhew. Rpt. from 2011. Albert & Renie haven't left their flat in decades. They are cocooned by every object they have ever owned. One pocket watch, one rule book, one cap. Railway issue. One chiming clock, engraved '25 years service'. One chiming clock, engraved '50 years service'. But their lifetime of memories needs to be cleared from the Clover Block, as this model post war estate is now to be demolished. Every edition of the Daily Mirror since 1941. Every edition of the National Union Of Railwaymen newsletter since 1941. 69 years of appointment diaries - notes about the weather to each date. Renie and Albert Grace keep their memories piled high, boxed and safe in their tower block flat, with no need for the outside world. Every object triggers a memory, a chapter in their lives together. Now Christopher, the man from the Council, is given the job of persuading them to de-clutter and move out, before the flats are blown up and his baby is due. As he gets to know them he wonders why they have kept all their possessions and reflects on his relationship with his girlfriend.With Richard Briers, Julie Mayhew, Edna Dore and Joe Armstrong; producer Justine Potter. Indie production (Red Productions).
6 May: Frank Zappa and Me
Play based on Pauline Butcher's memoir Freak Out - My Life with Frank Zappa, dramatized by Matt Broughton. A conventional English secretary's life is transformed by a meeting with the avant-garde musician. She follows him to LA in 1967; eventually she finds her own calling with the rise of the women's liberation movement. Young Pauline - Lucy Briggs-Owen, Older Pauline - Richendra Carey, Frank Zappa - Ronan Summers, Herb Cohen - Simon Lee Philiips, Christine - Samantha Dakin, Eric Clapton - Gareth Pierce. Producer - Kate McAll.
7 May: The Sensitive - Underground Man
By Alastair Jessiman. Glasgow psychic Thomas Soutar helps track down a killer who is hiding in the city's underground tunnels. Part 1 of 2. Robert Laing as Thomas, with Julie Duncanson asKat, Simon Donaldson as Brodie, Finlay Welsh, Stevie Hannan, Finlay McLean, John Shedden, Ann Scott-Jones, Sharon Young. Producer Bruce Young.
8 May: The Sensitive - Underground Man
By Alastair Jessiman. Part 2 of 2. The search continues in the disused tunnels, and two men are found dead. Then Thomas's girlfriend disappears. Production details - as yesterday.
9 May: Strangers on a Film
By Stephen Wyatt. The collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and Raymond Chandler to make a film based on Patricia Highsmith's novel 'Strangers on a Train'. The pairing seems good in principle but proves disastrous in practice.
Raymond Chandler - Patrick Stewart, Hitchcock - Clive Swift. Producer: Claire Grove. Rpt.
10 May: Saturday Drama: The Long Goodbye
By Raymond Chandler, dram. Stephen Wyatt. Rpt. 1/4. A Philip Marlowe story. Outside a clubon LA's Sunset Boulevard, Marlowe encounters a scarred drunk, Terry Lennox, and the pair form an uneasy friendship. However, things soon change when Lennox shows up one night at Marlowe's place late one night, seeking a favour. Toby Stephens as Marlowe, Trevor White as Lennox, with Saskia Reeves, Peter Polycarpou, James Lailey, Simon Bubb and Alun Raglan. Producer - Claire Grove. 90m.
11 May: Classic Serial - Dr. Thorne
Trollope, dram. Michael Symmons Roberts. 2/3. Frank is more determined than ever to win Mary's hand, but his mother is against the match. She wants her son to marry money, to save the indebted Greshambury estate. Maggie Steed, Iain Glen, Douglas Booth, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Liza Tarbuck, Ron Cook, Kieran Hodgson, Michael Bertenshaw, Pippa Haywood, Nick Haverson, Jaimi Barbakoff, Wilf Scolding. Producer Charlotte Riches; director Susan Roberts.
12 May: Rock Me Amadeus
By Simon Topping. A boy who feels feminine is unsure of how to proceed in his life, until he finds guidance from a German exchange student. This was a BBC Writers' Prize drama, introduced by the writer. Alex Lawther as Charlie, Felix Auer as Tim, with Scarlett Brookes, Karina Fernandez, Nikki Runeckles, Craige Els. Producer Sally Avens.
13 May: Paris, Nana and Me
By Caroline Horton. True story; when Caroline's French grandmother turns 90, Caroline takes her on a trip to Paris. But her grandmother can't remember what she was doing yesterday, and she has very poor sight. Was the trip a good idea? Caroline Horton as herself, with Chantal Garriques as Nana and other parts played by Jot Davies. Producer James Robinson.
14 May: When the night has no right to be King
By John Lynch. A man finds himself neither alive nor dead. The play is inspired by Greek mythology and is about grief and the power of love. John Lynch as Chris, with Stephen Mackintosh, Chetna Pandya, Steve Evets, Sally Carman, Jonathan Keeble. Producer Nadia Molinari.
15 May: Art, Artefacts and Angels
By Phil Marley. A museum exhibits a body found in a bog. It's known as the Angel of Archangelsk, and the museum becomes well-known. Then a Russian oligarch suggests that the museum lends him the Angel in return for a big cash sum. Comedy. Boris - Kerry Shale, Rosie - Kate Coogan, Julius - Will Tacey, Roy/Putin - Eddie Capli, Nigel - James Nickersdon, Daniel - Hamilton Berstock. Producer Gary Brown.
16 May: When I Lived in Peru
By Andrew Viner. Martin, who never travels, is being driven mad by the endless travel anecdotes of his globetrotting girlfriend. Then he's made redundant. He starts using his redundancy money to fly to Tanzania secretly each week. She thinks he's still stay-at-home Martin. Martin - Stephen Wight, Claire - Kelly Adams, Jaffari - Fiston Barek. Other roles - Ery Nazamba, Wilf Scolding, Priyanga Burford, Michael Bertenshaw. Producer Liz Webb.
17 May: Saturday Play: The High Window
By Raymond Chandler, dram. Robin Brooks. 2/4. A wealthy widow reportsthat a rare gold coin has been stolen from her collection. Philip Marlowe is hired to investigate. He soon finds himself caught at the centre of a family feud. Philip Marlowe - Toby Stephens, with Judy Parfitt as the widow, Jessica Raine, Patrick Kennedy, Joe Montana, Stuart Milligan, Susie Riddell, Peter Polycarpou, Gerard McDermott, Carl Prekopp, Alex Tregear, James Lailey, Sean Baker, Alun Raglan, Simon Bubb. Producer Claire Grove. Director Sasha Yevtushenko. Rpt.
18 May: Classic Serial: Dr. Thorne
By Anthony Trollope, 3/3, dram Michael Symmons Roberts. After an enforced year away from Mary Thorne, Frank is back, but there are rumours that he did not spend the year alone. Meanwhile Lady Arabella is hopeful that Frank will marry money and stabilise the family's finances. Mrs. Baxter - Maggie Steed, Dr. Thorne - Ian Glen , Frank - Douglas Booth, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Liza Tarbuck, Keiran Hodgson, Pippa Haywood, Michael Bertenshaw, Hattie Morahan, Jaimi Barbakoff. Producer - Charlotte Riches; director - Susan Roberts.
19 May: The Cloistered Soul
By Rachel Connor. Postulant Bridget arrives in a Benedictine convent, and Sister Agatha is assigned to look after her. However, the newcomer's questions force Agatha to confront the truth about herself and her faith. Sister Agatha - Susan Lynch, Sister Geraldine - Leanne Best, Bridget - Rachel Austin, Mother Marie-David : Eileen O'Brien. Producer - Nadia Molinari.
20 May: Magpie
By Lee Mattinson. Comedy drama. Lance is determined to abstain from his taste for eating metal and takes up a sensible job as he tries to get his life back on track. His plans are affected by a little boy who moves into the street. Lance - Jack Deam, Max - Sam Hattersley, Rhona - Melanie Hill, with Kathryn Hunt, Kate Coogan, Eric Potts. Producer - Sharon Sephton.
21 May: The Shining Heart
By Conor McCormack and Matt Haynes. Based on a true story. When a schizophrenic decides to stop taking his medication, his world becomes infused with wonder. It's not the same for those around him. Louie, the schizophrenic - Carl Prekopp, with Russell Boulter, Katy Soby, Mercedes Grower, Sydney Wade, Sally Orrock, Mark Meadows. Producer - Mary Ward-Lowery,
22 May: Lost or Stolen
By Jessica Brown, daughter of radio producer/writer Gary Brown. A couple meet as they share a taxi after a night out in London. They are drawn to each other. Their unusual love story takes a turn when Sarah steals Dan's mobile 'phone. The couple: Annabel Scholey and Tom Bennett; other parts played by Michael Bertenshaw. Producer - James Robinson.
23 May: From A to Z
By Rose Heiney. Comedy. Paul and Suzie have been together since they were teenagers. As they approach 30 they decide that they need to reignite their passion for each other, and participate together in 26 activities, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. Paul - Alex Carter, Suzie - Catrin Stewart, with Alun Raglan, Claire Cage and Sam Jones. Producer Helen Perry.
24 May: Saturday Play: The Little Sister
By Raymond Chandler, dram. Stephen Wyatt. 90m. Rpt. Detective Philip Marlowe is drawn into the world of Hollywood when he is hired to find the missing brother of Orfamy Quest, a small-town girl who might not be as innocent as she seems. Marlowe - Toby Stephens, Orfamy - Kelly Burke, with Fenella Woolgar, Peter Polycarpou, Ginita Jiminez, John Guerrasio, Jonathan Forbes. Producer - Claire Grove.
25 May: Classic Serial - Barnaby Rudge,1
Dramatised by Mike Walker. A man accused of murder disappears without trace, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. Iain Glen as Dickens, Daniel Laurie as Barnaby, with Joanna Horton, Heather Craney, Tony Bell, Bryan Dick, Ron Cook, Amaka Okofor, David Cann, Jaimi Barbakoff, John Mackay, Hubert Burton, David Schofield, Matthew Watson, Ashley Kumar. Producer Jeremy Mortimer.
ALL THE DARK CORNERS....45m chillers
26 May: Afternoon Drama - The Desk
By Andrew Readman. A chiller; first in a series of three. Davis Finch is a hack TV writer with aspirations to write a novel. In order to be a real writer he feels he needs a proper desk. He starts to write. Then he finds a secret drawer. Rpt. from 18 Oct 2011.
Finch.............Graeme Hawley,
Harrison.........Tim McInnerny,
Rachel...........Karen West,
Morris............Greg Wood,
Valerie...........Melissa Jane Sinden,
Shopkeeper....Russell Richardson.
Producer Gary Brown.
27 May: Afternoon Drama - Something in the Water
Chiller no. 2: by Paul Cornell.
When crusading scientist and committed atheist James Woolmer is sacked from his job as a columnist, he decides to up sticks and move his family to the country to get away from it all. What he finds is a village gripped by hysteria and fear and a lucrative tourist industry surrounding Standlake's resident lake monster, Lachey. Despite the weird skin abrasions and the rumbling in the pipes James is utterly sceptical, until he sees something in the water. This play reminded me of 'Witch Water Green' by Don Webb, from the 80s. Rpt. from 19 Oct 2011. (note from ND.... someone asked me recently to identify this play from a description of the plot..... I hope you see this and recognise it.)
James.....James Nickerson,
Erica.....Zara Turner,
Ben.....Joel Davies,
Ruskin.....Conrad Nelson,
Peter.....Jonathan Keeble,
Batley.....Stephen Hoyle,
Helen.....Ruth Alexander Rubin,
Producer Nadia Molinari.
28 May: Afternoon Drama - The Dying Wish
Chiller no. 3....By Rosemary Kay. Fran and her partner Abe are befriended by a lonely old woman, Joy, who lives in the flat above. Joy persuades them to make a promise - they must perform an ancient ritual after she's died. They unwittingly agree without realising the terrifying consequences of their action. Rpt from 20 Oct 2011.
Fran ..... Sarah Smart,
Abe ..... Jonathan Keeble,
David ..... Robert Pickavance,
Joy ..... Janice McKenzie,
Jack ..... James Quin.
Producer Pauline Harris.
29 May: Missing in Action
By Clare Lizzimore. A woman's husband is declared missing in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, but she thinks he is alive after she sees his 'double' in a supermarket. Her belief that she has found him becomes so strong that the man begins to think that she might be right. Daniel - Sam Troughton, Laura - Liz White, Natalie - Anna Madely, with Craige Els, Clive Hayward and Michael Bertenshaw. Producers Claire Grove and Jonquil Panting.
30 May: A New Lease of Life
By Simenon, dram. Ronald Frame; another of Simenon's non-Maigret stories. A reclusive bachelor, an accountant with no emotional or private life apart from his visits to a prostitute, finds his life changes after he is seriously injured in a car accidnet. In a private nursing home he develops a relationship with one of the staff and wonders if his life is being manipulated by a third party. Alun Raglan as Maurice Dudon, the bachelor, with Selina Boyack, Richard Addison, Eliza Langland, Michael MacKenzie and Kirk Bage. Producer David Ian Neville.
30 May: A New Lease of Life
By Simenon, dram. Ronald Frame; another of Simenon's non-Maigret stories. A reclusive bachelor, an accountant with no emotional or private life apart from his visits to a prostitute, finds his life changes after he is seriously injured in a car accidnet. In a private nursing home he develops a relationship with one of the staff and wonders if his life is being manipulated by a third party. Alun Raglan as Maurice Dudon, the bachelor, with Selina Boyack, Richard Addison, Eliza Langland, Michael MacKenzie and Kirk Bage. Producer David Ian Neville.
31 May: Saturday Play - Poodle Springs
By Raymond Chandler; his final thriller, unfinished at his death and which was completed by Robert Parker thirty years later in 1989. Philip Marlowe is married; fresh from his honeymoon with the heiress Linda he has set up shop in the Californian town of Poodle Springs. He finds it dull, and when he's asked to find a gambler on the run, he can't resist. Toby Stephens as Marlowe, Lorelei King as his wife, Stephen Campbell Moore as Victor, with Laurel Lefkow, Peter Polycarpou, Sasha Pick, Gerard McDermott, Alun Raglan, Sean Baker, Carl Prekopp, James Lailey, Simon Bubb. Producer Claire Grove; director Sasha Yevtushenko. 60m.
1 June: Classic Serial - Barnaby Rudge
By Dickens, dram. Mike Walker. 2/3. Novel written in 1841 about the Gordon Riots of the 1780s. Iain Glen as Dickens, with Daniel Laurie as Barnaby; other parts taken by Clive Hayward, Joanna Horton, Heather Craney, Bryan Dick,Ron Cook, Amaka Okafor, David Cann, Jaimi Barbakoff, John Mackey, Tony Bell, David Schofield, Ashley Kumar. Producer - Jeremy Mortimer.
2 June: Blown Away
By Sian Evans. A couple taking pride in their soldier son are forced to re-evaluate their family history as they struggle to come to terms with his shocking actions. Ali - Anne Lacey, Paul - Alexander Morton, Iain - Sean Biggerstaff, Captain Sams - Liam Brennan, with Finn Den Hertog, Sally Reid and Kenny Blyth. Producer - Gaynor Macfarlane.
3 June: A Night Visitor
By Stephanie Jacob. Jealousy, butchery and sausages. Spiralling debts force a couple to downsize to an isolated Norfolk cottage. There, a terrifying visitor turns up. Hilary - Stella Gonet, Tom - David Cann, Martin - Carl Prekopp. Producer - David Hunter.
4 June: The House of Fiction
By Susan Swingler. A memoir of how she was turned into fiction by her stepmother, Birmingham-born Australian novelist Elizabeth Jolley. Dram atized by Sara Davies. Miriam Margolyes as Elizabeth, Juliet Aubrey as Joyce Jolley, young Susan: Isabella D'Alessandro, Laura: Jacqueline Tong. Producer Mary Ward-Lowery.
5 June: Hinterland
By Francis Turnley. Crime mystery in which the body of a farmer is found buried in a peat bog close to the Northern Ireland / Southern Ireland border. A Garda detective investigates. Catherine Cusack, Frank O'Sullivan, Stuart Graham, Brian Gleeson, Kieran Lagan, Julia Dearden, Gerry O'Brien, Cathy Belton, Frankie McCafferty, Miche Doherty. Producer: Heather Larmour.
6 June: Three Beds in Manhattan
By Simenon, dram. Ronald Frame; another of Simenon's non-Maigret stories. 2/3. A French actor in 1940s New York is trying to escape a scandal when he meets a mysterious divorcee. They roam the streets together, finding it hard to separate but struggle to understand what has brought them together. Michael Maloney, Clare Corbett, David Seddon, Dan Starkey.
7 June: Saturday Play: If Only
By David Edgar; a political play. There is an imagined encounter between a 'spin doctor' (paid liar) working for the Labour Party, a Conservative MP and a Liberal Democrat party worker, stranded together at an airport during the eruption of the Icelandic volcano in April 2010. They speculate about the outcome of the forthcoming election, and form a pact. Four years later they meet again. 90m. Hattie Morahan, Amaka Okafor, Bryan Dick and Raymond Coulthard. Producer: Alison Hindell.
8 June: Classic Serial: Barnaby Rudge
By Dickens, dram. Mike Walker. 3/3 - A City in Flames. George Gordon's followers form a mob, intending to free the inmates of Newgate Prison. Meanwhile, Simon Tappertit claims guardianship of the rioters' captives, Dolly Varden and Emma Haredale, and tries to persuade Gabriel Varden to unlock the prison gates. Iain Glen as Dickens, Daniel Laurie as Barnabby, with Joanna Horton, Heather Craney, Bryan Dick, Ron Cook, Amaka Okafor, David Cann, Jaimi Barbakoff, John Mackay, Tony Bell, David Schofield, Matthew Watson and Ashley Kumar. Producer - Jeremy Mortimer.
9 June: In The Family
By SEan Grundy. Relationships within a family reach new levels of awkwardness after Peter breaks up with Gillian, only for her to seek comfort with his parents. Diane Morgan, Colin Hoult, Janine Duvitski, John Hemshaw, Zoe Gardner, Zahra Barri, John Biddle, Tony Marshall, Christine Hall, Sean Grundy. Produced by Alison Crawford.
10 June: Dog Days
By Justin Hopper. A teenager dreams of breeding a winning greyhound, and is encouraged by his grandfather. The pair believe that they have a winner, but then the youngster's estranged father appears at the track. Rielly Newbold as the boy, Philip Jackson as the grandad, with Tony Bell, Cassie Leyton, Carolyn Pickles, Heather Craney, Matthew Watson, David Cann, Clive Hayward. Producer Sasha Yevtushenko.
11 June: The State of the Water
By Sarah Woods. Sheep farmers Eldrys and his daughter Siwan hear about a new scheme to help them become eco-stewards of their land. Siwan thinks that this way of life could offer a better future, but her attitude threatens to cause a split in the family. Iestyn Jones as narrator, Phyl Harries, Mali Harris, Claire Cage, Rhys ap William, Saul Woods. Produced by Kate McAll.
12 June: Men Who Sleep In Cars
By Michael Symmons Roberts. Three men whose lives have been turned upside-down by the recession sleep in their cars on the streets of Manchester. They listen to their radios for company. All three have lost their homes, their work and their old familiar lives. Narrator - Maxine peake, with Nick Haverson, Robert Haythorne, Rob Edwards; Pat Nevin as the sports reporter. Produced by Susan Roberts.
13 June: The Confessional
By Simenon; another non-Maigret story, dramatized by Ronald Frame. A teenager in the French Riviera seems to have it all: an opulent home, a trouble-free school life and a sympathetic girlfriend, but he struggles to cope with his parents' rocky marriage. Haydn Gwynne, Nicholas Farrell, Arthur Hughes as young Andre, Carl Prekopp as older Andre, Jo Woodcock, Jane Whittenshaw, Lucy Paterson. Producer David Ian Neville.
14 June: Saturday Play - The Illustrated Man
By Ray Bradbury, dramatized by Brian Sibley. First in a short sci-fi season called 'Dangerous Visions'. A young man's travels bring him into contact with a vagrant who says that his many tattoos come to life after dark and provide tantilising glimpses into the future. This device is used to bring together some of Bradbury's best short stories. Iain Glen as the illustrated man, with Jamie Parker, Elaine Claxton, Wilf Scolding, Patrick Kennedy,Stephen Hogan, Neil Herrin, Heather Craney, Clive Hayward, Lucy Hutchinson, Alec Newman, John P. Arnold, Jaimi Barbakoff, Craige Els. Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
15 June: Classic Serial - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
By Philip Dick, dramatized by Jonathan Holloway. 1/2. Science fiction tale from 1968. In postwar 1992 San Francisco, androids are becoming indistinguishable from humans. Bounty hunter Rick Deckard is given the job of locating and destroying a group of escaped androids. James Purefoy, Jessica Raine, Nicky Henson, Anton Lesser, Heather Craney, Stuart McLoughlin, Clive Hayward, Danny Sapani, Jaimi Barbakoff, Wilf Scolding. Produced by Sasha Yevtushenko.
16 June: The Bee Maker
By Anita Sullivan. In the year 2020, the world's bee population is nearly extinct. A robotics expert builds artificial insects to help pollinate the fruit trees. Alice Lowe, Harriet Walter, Stuart McLoughlin, Alun Raglan, John Norton, Claire Cage. Produced by James Robinson.
17 June: Iz
By Miranda Emmerson. A thriller set in the year 2091, where everyone lives in solitary housing units and all human relationships take place in virtual worlds. A student breaks a 24-hour curfew and journeys across Britain to meet his virtual lover after their online contact is cut off. Lee - Sacha Dhawan, Iz - Jaimi Barbakoff, Sylvia - Sian Phillips, with Clive Hayward, Scarlett Brookes and Matthew Watson. Producer - Emma Harding.
18 June: The Zone
By Trevor Preston. Science fiction thriller set in the future and in a world beyond the reach of the law. Turner is in the grasp of the criminal elite, who control the trade in body parts. Part 1 of 2. Ben Crowe,Stephen Greif, Michael Bertenshaw, Elaine Claxton, Jaimi Barbakoff, Georige Fuller, Sinead Keenan, Clare Perkins, Clive Hayward, Harry Myers, David Cann, Matthew Watson, Wilf Scolding. Producer: Toby Swift.
19 June: The Zone
Yesterday's play, conclusion.
20 June: The Two Georges
By Stephen Keyworth. Comedy drama, set in 1950s America, where sci-fi writer Philip Dick was visited by two FBI agents. Kyle Soller as Dick, with Edward Hogg, Jaimi Barbakoff, Craige Els, Wilf Scolding, Heather Craney. Producer - Sasha Yevtushenko.
21 June: Saturday Play - The Martian Chronicles
By Ray Bradbury, dramatized by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle. Astronauts taking part in Earth's first mission to Mars disappear. A second expedition is sent, with instructions to find out what happened to the first lot. However, the Captain has another agenda. Derek Jacobi as the Captain, with Hayley Atwell, Anna Madeley, Mark Lewis-Jones, John Altman, Zoe Tapper, Jonathan Rhodes, Dean Harris, Ryan Sewell, Melissa Aston-Munslow, Owen Sewell, Rachel Naylor, Jacob James, Robert Lock. Producer - Andrew Mark Sewell. The Mayflower Rocket Kids were played by the pupils of Polehampton Junior School. (very well done!) Sound design - Alistair Lock.
22 June: Classic Serial - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
By Philip Dick, dramatized by Jonathan Holloway. 2/2. Science fiction tale from 1968. When androids get increasingly like humans, 'retiring' them (by destroying them) gets a lot more like murder. James Purefoy, Jessica Raine, Nicky Henson, Steve Hartley, Heather Craney, Stuart McLoughlin, Clive Hayward, Danny Sapani, Jaimi Barbakoff, Wilf Scolding. Produced by Sasha Yevtushenko.
23 June: Brought to Light
By Francis Turnley. A medical student discovers some old newspapers in her grandmother's attic. There she finds a secret from her father's past which she'd rather not know. Sophie Harkness as the student; producer Heather Larmour. I think this was a monologue.
24 June: When Oliver Reed met Keith Moon
By Matthew Broughton. The friendship of Oliver Reed and Moony, the Who drummer. Oliver Reed - Sean Pertwee, Moony - Arthur Darvill, with other parts taken by Matthew Gravelle, Richard Nichols, Bethan Walker and Claire Cage. Producer: Sam Hoyle.
25 June: Hatch, Match & Dispatch
By Gary Brown. 1/6: Uncle Harry. A series of six comic tales which start in a registry office and end with a birth, marriage or death. In this tale, Mark has a well-ordered life in spite of his dysfunctional family, frightening boss and the fact that he suffers occasional blackouts. The play is continued next Wednesday. Dylan Edwards as Mark, Ewan Bailey as Uncle Harry, with Denise Black, Katherine Jakeways, Christian Patterson, Rachel Redford and David Cann. Producer - Helen Perry.
26 June: A Hospital Odyssey
A contemporary version of Homer's Odyssey, written and dramatized by Gwyneth Lewis and set in a hospital. A woman's husband is diagnosed with cancer and she embarks on a mission to save him. Alexander Roach, Alex Beckett, Patrick Brennan, Heather Craney, Wilf Scolding and Michael Bertenshaw. Producer - Allegra McIlroy.
27 June: A Time to Dance
By Anita Sullivan. In July 1518 a mysterious plague struck the city of Strasbourg, leaving many dead and thousands bewildered and bereaved. Could it now be happening again in London's Southbank? The drama is done in the style of a report.Robin Lustig, Jim Libby, Jana Carpenter, Tom Salinsky, Deborah Frances White, Matthew Banister, Jessica Pidsley, Jessica Regan and
Maria Sanchez. Producer - Julian Simpson.
28 June: Saturday Drama: The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde
By Nick Stafford. Wilde's courtroom battle with the Marquess of Queensberry. Wilde assumed that he could take on the man who invented the rules of boxing, and win. The play is based on the book "Irish Peacock and Scarlet Marquess" by Wilde's grandson, Merlin Holland. Wilde - J. Rhind-Tutt, Queensberry - Sean Pertwee, Alfred Douglas - Joal McCormack, Edward Carson - Stephen Hogan, with Michael Mears, Sean Murray, Steve Toussaint, Harry Jardine and David Seddon. Produced by David Hunter.
29 June: Classic Serial: The Bride of Lammermoor
By Walter Scott, dram. Mike Harris. The first of three new adaptations of Scott's work. This tale is a tragic 18th-century romance, set in the Lammermuir hills of south-east Scotland. Narrated by David Tennant, with Roshan Rohatgi, Hugh Ross, Maureen Beattie, Joanne Cummins, Drew Cain, Beth Tuckey, Robert Hudson and Bryan Larkin. Producer: Clive Brill. Indie (Pacificus).
30 June: Who Cares?
By Peter Mills. A tense drama about illicit love and the insidious nature of cover-ups. A social worker falls in love with his client, but when a violent act against her child is reported, a darker tale develops. Phil - Jason Done, Lisa - Natalie Gavin, with Kate Coogan, Callum K Chadwick, Moran Siller and Harry Devas. Producer - Pauline Harris.
1 Jul: The Sum
By Lizzie Nunnery. A love triangle; Eve struggles to keep her family together and to make ends meet. Her boss offers a solution which makes her question how much she is worth. Eve - Siwan Morris, Alan - Steffan Rhodri, Danny - Matthew Gravelle, with Sharon Morgan and Sion Pritchard. Producer: Helen Perry.
2 Jul: Hatch, Match & Dispatch
By Leah Chillery. 2/6. Losing my Penny. Leo is in love with Penny and plpans to marry her, and it seems that only her possessive father stands in the way. Later it transpires that Leo has some secrets. Leo- Don Gilet, Penny - Verity-May Henry, with Kathryn Hunt, Conrad Nelson, Tupele Dorgu and Fiona Clarke. Producer - Gary Brown.
3 Jul: Blurred
By Frazer Flintham. When old university friends meet up, a decade after they lost touch, one of them makes a shocking revelation. Hannah - Noami Frederick, Nikki - Rosie Cavaliero, with Simon Bubb, Adjoa Andoh, Tracy Wiles and Christopher Webster. Produced by Mary Peate.
4 Jul: Adrian Mole and the Blair-Mole Project
By the late Sue Townsend. Adrian Mole is commissioned to present a feature on Tony Blair's ten years as Prime Minister. Unsurprisingly, Adrian has a somewhat idiosyncratic view about this particular politician. Adrian - Pierce Quigley, Blair - Rory Bremner, Cherie Blair - Harriet Walter, Pandora - Jenny Funnell. Producer: Gordon House. Rpt; broadcast as a tribute to the writer, who died recently .
4 Jul: Friday Drama: The Events
By David Greig, 55m. A female priest searches for understanding after a mass shooting in which members of her mixed-race community choir were killed. Claire - Neve McIntosh, with Sophie Stanton, Michael Bertenshaw, Rudi Dharmalingam, Clifford Samuel and Justin Salinger. Produced by Allegra McIlroy. Directors: Ramin Gray and Allegra McIlroy.
....set in the aftermath of an atrocity, the focus is upon a female priest, Claire, who has survived a mass shooting of her congregation. There is a feel of a Greek tragedy about it, with the voices of dead choir-members drifting in and out like a haunting chorus.... but Claire is driven to understand the killer rather than take revenge.....(Jane Anderson, writing in RT, summarised by ND.)
5 Jul: Saturday Drama: Publish and be Damned: Harriette Wilson
Part 1 of 2, rpt. Ellen Dryden's adaptation of the 19th-century courtesan's memoirs. Harriette leaves the dull household of her first aristocratic protector and searches for a younger lover. Nancy Carroll as Harriette, with Charles Edwards, Barnaby Kay, Blake Ritson, Leila Hackett, Anna Francolini, Abigail Burdess, Jonathan Dryden Taylor, Richard Galazka, Sarah Finigan. Producer: Ellen Dryden.
6 Jul: Classic Serial: Ivanhoe
2/3. Another in the series of Walter Scott stories. This one is dramatised by Scott Cherry and narrated by David Tennant. In 1194, after the failed Third Crusade, Richard I is reported to have been captured. Mark Bonnar, Henry Goodman, Christian Rodska, Laura Molyneaux, David Troughton, Sasha Behar, Will Adamsale, Nicholas Murchie, Nigel Cooke, Edward Max. Produced by Clive Brill. Indie (Pacificus).
7 Jul: Here After
By William Ash and Andrew Knott; comedy drama. (Note that this is not the William Ash who was active during the 1980s and who wrote the well-known book on radio drama) Jake's plans for an exciting night out are ruined when an unexpected guest drops by with news which will change his life forever. Alex Carter, Steve EVets, Pierce Quigley, Dean Smith. Produced by Nadia Molinari.
8 Jul: Not Just for Christmas
By Roddy Doyle; a dramatization by the author of his children's novella. After 20 years of silence and separation, two brothers agree to meet again and make amends, but it will not be easy for either of them to forget about the argument which drove them apart. Simon Delaney, Michael McElhatton, Barbara Bergin, Gerry O'Brien, Miche Doherty, Deirdre O'Kane, Sam Keeley, Donal Gallery, Adam Brown, Scott Graham, Seainin Brennan, Paul Kennedy. Producer Gemma McMullen.
9 Jul: Hatch, Match & Dispatch
3/6. By David Hodgson. Episode title 'Time and Tide'. Teddy awakens on his stag night to find himself naked and handcuffed to a lamp post. This doesn't alarm him too much, but something very odd seems to have occurred over the previous hour which prompts him to question everything. The old man - Will Tacey, Teddy - Alan Morrissey, with Will Ash, Hannah Wood, Sean Mason, Harriet C Judd, Hamilton Berstock. Producer - Gary Brown.
10 Jul: Farran at Bay
By Hugh Costello. Jerusalem, 1947. A Jewish teenager is seen handing out anti-British propaganda; then witnesses see him being forced into a car by English-speaking armed men. He is never seen again. Within hours a British war hero flees the scene, and the subsequent investigation has consequences for Britain's hold on Palestine. This thriller is based on a scandal which blighted the final days of Britain's 30-year control of the Holy Land. John MacKay, Jonathan Firth, Michael Shelford, Frank Laverty, Christian Rodska, Philip Arditti, Russell Boulter, David Collins, Simon Armstrong. Producer Alasdair Cross.
11 Jul: Pact
By Tony Pitts. Two strangers meet on the internet and have the same morbid goal - to commit suicide together. Tony Pitts, Maxine Peake, Gwyneth Powell, Dominic Brunt, Polly Maberly, Richard Hawley. Producer: Sally Harrison; director: Tony Pitts.
11 Jul: Friday Play - Love, etc.
Repeat of Julian Barnes' sequel to his 2012 radio play "Talking it Over". Gillian's ex-husband returns from America a changed man. Carl Prekopp, Nicholas Boulton, Hermione Norris, Lauren Mote. Produced by Tracey Neale.
12 Jul: Saturday Play: Publish & Be Damned
Part 2 of 2 of the story which began last Saturday. The 19th-century prostitute's memoirs. Harriette makes contact with Ponsonby. Unfortunately their romance is obstructed to some extent by his wife. Harriette also attracts a new possible client: the teenage Marquis of Worcester. Nancy Carroll as Harriette, with Charles Edwards, Barnaby Kay, Blake Ritson, Leila Hackett, Anna Francolini, Abigail Burdess, Andrew Muside, Jonathan Dryden Taylor, Gus Brown, Jonathan Coote, Nigel Thomas. Producer: Ellen Dryden.
13 Jul: Classic Serial - Red Gauntlet
More Walter Scott. Story dramatized by Robin Brooks and is relocated to a fictional future Scotland in the year 2035. Law student Danny disappears after the arrest of Stuart Galloway, the Red Gauntlet. Narrated by David Tennant, with Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Clive Russell, Christian Rodska, Olivia Morgan, Forbes Masson, Robert Hudson, Simon Greenall, Allison McKenzie and Paul Ready. Producer Clive Brill. Indie (Pacificus).
14 Jul: The Great Squanderland Roof
Another financial play (rpt) by Julian Gough. A parable of how our money is being wasted, even in these times of austerity. But then again ... it's not their money they're chucking away........ I was surprised they didn't mention wind turbines. The bankrupt republic of Squanderland devises a way of emerging from the banking crisis, to the horror of Europe's bankers, after a plan to place a roof over the EU henhouse escalates out of control. With Rory Keenan, Dermot Crowley, James Lailey, Adjoa Andoh, Clare Corbett and Stephanie Flanders (as herself). Producer Di Speirs.
15 Jul: Come to Grief
By Hannah Vincent. Sylvia is in hospital suffering from memory loss and is undergoing radical treatment - she's suspended above the floor, hanging by the neck. Medical staff assure her that this is necessary, and everything will eventually fall into place. As she hangs there, she is visited by a series of figures... but are they real? Claire Rushbrook as Sylvia, Philip Jackson as Don, with Carl Prekopp, Emerald O'Hanrahan, Ian Masters and Claire Wilson. Produced by Gordon House; music by David Chilton.
16 Jul: Hatch, Match & Dispatch
4/6. By Alan Harris; a comedy. Geoff, also known as The Slim Reaper, is a pest control man who kills rats and other vermin all day long - until Mystic June tells him something which will alter the rest of his life.Julian Lewis Jones, Sarah McGaughey, Katy Owen, Lisa Palfrey, Richard Mitchley, Sion Pritchard, Michael Bertenshaw. Produced by Helen Perry.
17 Jul: Strangers in the Night
By Georgia Fitch. 1969, and an English actress named Carol White is trying to make a name for herself in Hollywood. She finds herself draw to Frank Sinatra. They become friends, but the path to stardom is fraught with difficulty. Nicola Stapleton as Carol, with Patrick Burke, Ben Crowe (as Frank Sinatra), Colin MacFarlane and Cecilia Noble. Produced by Nandita Ghose.
18 Jul: Love Virtually
By Dan Glattauer, dram.Eileen Horne. Two people meet online when an email sent by Emmi accidentally ends up in Leo's inbox. An virtual romance ensues which lets them both escape, temporarily, from their day-to-day existence. They eventually plan a face-to-face meeting .... Leo: David Tennant, Emmi Rothner - Emilia Fox, Emmi's husband - Paul Jesson. Produced by Clive Brill. Indie (Pacificus).
18 Jul: Friday Play - Calum's Road
By Colin MacDonald, rpt, based on a true story, inspired by Roger Hutchinson's book of the same name. The events take place on Raasay, a very small island off the east coast of Skye. Calum McLeod petitions the council to build a road linking the isolated (northern) part of the island with the schools and medical facilities in the south. When his requests are denied, he embarks on a ten-year project to lay the road himself. Calum - Ian McDiarmid, Terry - Bryan Dick, Lexie McLeod - Monica Gibb, with Iain Macrae, Helen Mackay, Finn Den Hertog. Producer - Kirsteen Cameron.
19 Jul: Saturday Play: Red Velvet
By Lolita Chakrabarti. Imagined experiences based on the true story of Ira Aldridge, the first black actor to play Othello. Set in London in 1833. Edmund Kean collapses on stage at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, while playing the role. A young black actor is asked to take over. Slavery has not yet been abolished. How will the cast, the critics and the audience react to the revolution taking place inside the theatre? 90m. Adrian Lester in the lead, with Charlotte Lucas, Eugene O'Hare, Oliver Ryan, Nic Jackman, Rachel Finnegan, Simon Chandler and Natasha Gordon. Producer - Abigail le Fleming; director Indhu Rubasingham. Music by Paul Englishby.
20 Jul: Classic Serial: By a Young Officer - Churchill on the North-West Frontier.
Historical single-part 55m drama by Michael Eaton. In 1897, news reaches London that Islamic insurgents have declared a holy war and are causing trouble in the mountains between India and Afghanistan. The 22-year-old Winston Churchill goes out there to report on the situation. Churchill - Douglas Booth, Jonathan Bailey, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Critchlow and Toby Longworth as assorted Majors, Sergeants, etc; with Abdullah Afzal as the Sikh and the railway clerk and Lorelei King as Jennie Churchill and Duchess Lilly. Producer David Morley; director Dirk Maggs.
21 Jul: It Takes Two to Lie
By Isabelle Grey. When Des takes Nabil hostage during an attempt to rob a pawn shop, things don't go as planned. As he tries to lie his way out of the situation, Nabil forces him to face up to the truth. Gerard McDermott as Des, Muzz Khan as Nabil, Robert Harper as Andy. Produced by Tom Wentworth.
22 Jul: The Sensitive
By Alastair Jessiman. Offbeat thriller; police call in a psychic to help find a missing woman. Thomas Soutar is adept at solving crimes, but is his extraordinary gift a blessing or a curse? Thomas - Jimmy Chisholm, Mother - Sheila Donald, with Julie Austin, Mary Riggans, Kathryn Holden, Chris Young, James Bryce. Produced by Bruce Young.
23 Jul: Hatch, Match & Dispatch
5/6. By Anna Maria Murphy. Patrick has a lifetime's worth of stories, and his daughter knows them well. But one story she finds hard to believe - he claims that he was never born and that he's lived forever. In trying to find out the truth, she uncovers a family secret. Eiry homas, Peter Marinker, Christian Patterson, Sharon Morgan, Eirlys Bellin and Matthew Gravelle. Producer - James Robinson.
24 Jul: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
By Alexander McCall Smith. 1/2. A Late Van Just Glimpsed. Mma Ramotswe makes a ghostly sighting and there is disturbing news about Charlie. Meanwhilepreparations are under way for Mma Makutsi's wedding, but tragedy awaits outside the show shop. Concludes tomorrow. Claire Benedict, Nadine Marshall, Ben Onwukwe, Janice Acqua, Adjoa Andoh, Maynard Eziashi, Nyasha Hatendi, Obi Abili, Beru Tessema, Jude Akuwudike, Gbemisola Ikumelo. Producer - Gaynor McFarlane.
25 Jul: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
By Alexander McCall Smith. 2/2. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding. The ladies solve the case of the murdered cattle. Charlie is let off the hook and Mma Makutsi feels anxious about her forthcoming wedding to Phuti Radiphuti, but an old friend comes to the rescue. Cast - as yesterday.
25 Jul: Friday Play: The Confessions of Caminada
By Christopher Reason; rpt. An 18-year-old man faces execution after being convicted of murder, but a prominent social campaigner refuses to believe he's guilty. The play is based on a true case from the memoirs of 19th-century detective Jerome Caminada. The detective - George Costigan, Annie Swinton - Julia Ford, Father Dermot / Bannister - Russell Dixon, Fletcher / Wood -Jonathan Keeble, Moods - Justin Moorhouse, Charlie - Oliver Lee. Producer Gary Brown.
26 Jul: Saturday Drama: Queens of Noise - Shout to the Top
By Roy Boulter & Luoise Wener, set in 1988; about three women who form a guitar band and head for the big time. The play contains full-length original tracks recoded by its three stars performing as fictional band 'Velveteens'. Shane Richie, Hannah Arterton, Fiona Macrae, Samantha Robinson, Liza Sadovy, Ben Crowe, Adam Nagaitis and Joe Sims. Producer - Toby Swift.
27 Jul: Classic Serial - Eugenie Grandet
By Balzac, dram. Rose Tremaine. The peaceful existence of a miserly vine farmer is thrown into jeopardy when his brother's death forces him to take care of his troublesome nephew. This results in a domestic battle pitting the farmer against his previously dutiful daughter. Grandet - Ian McKellen, Eugenie - Alison Pettett, Nanon - Shirley Dixon, Mme. Grandet - Anna Calder-Marshall, Charles - Blake Ritson, with Harry Hadden-Paton, David Horovitch, Jenny Funnell, Geoffrey Beevers, Arthur Hughes. Producer - Gordon House.
28 Jul: The Waste Land
By T.S.Eliot. Eileen Atkins and Jeremy Irons read the well-known poem.
29 Jul: The Sensitive
By Alastair Jessiman. Play no. 2 in which a psychic man is asked to assist a police investigation, only to discover some unsettling connections between his own uncle's past and the murder of a young boy. Thomas Soutar - Robin Laing, Mrs. Soutar - Sheila Donald,, with Michael Mackenzie, Alex Heggie, John Shedden, Finlay Walsh, Simon Tait, William Barlow. Produced by David Jackson Young.
30 Jul: Hatch, Match and Dispatch
6/6 Elephants All the Way Up, by Lavinia Murray. A surreal comedy. Harper is a simple soul who works in a zoo. His wife desperately wants a baby and his angry father is a bare-knuckle boxer. His own job is to compose music to soothe the troubled thoughts of animals. Harper - Graeme Hawley, Yolanda - Kate Coogan, with Seamus O'Neill, Chris Jack, Lloyd Peters, Malcolm Raeburn, Lisa Allen. Producer - Gary Brown.
31 Jul: Imagining Some Fear
By Ellen Dryden. A creepy story where a woman suffering from nightmares hopes she can start afresh in a country cottage she inherits from an unknown great-aunt. Unfortunately, moving into her country retreat does not remove the bad dreams. Emma- Lyndsey Marshall, Anna Francolini, Jonathan Keeble and Ellen Dryden. Produced by Pauline Harris.
1 Aug: I'm a Believer
Comedy by Jon Canter. When Simon meets God in a dream, he is quick to tell him that he doesn't believe in the Heavenly Father. His certainty is tested when he meets birth, death and a woman who thinks he is a vicar in the same night. Simon - Stephen Mangan, Gog - Colin McFarlane, Jane - ClaudieBlakley, Mary - Pauline McLynn. Producer - Jonquil Panting.
1 Aug: Friday Drama - The Right Honourable
Repeat of Mike Bartlett's political drama from 2013. 60m. Nerys Jones is a new MP. When she arrives at the House of Commons, the leader of her party, offers to be her personal tour guide. She can't work out why he is being so generous, until she becomes involved in a series of events testing her integrity and her ability to compromise. Nerys - Alexandra Roach, Mark - Peter Firth, Giles - AntonLesser, Steve - Alun Raglan, Paul - Gerard McDermott, Andrew - Paul Bazely, Constituent - Di Botcher. Indie (Pacificus), produced by Clive Brill and directed by Claire Grove.
2 Aug: Saturday Drama - Educating Archie: His Master's Voice
By James Maw and Tim Sullivan. The story of radio ventriloquist Peter Brough and his doll Archie Andrews.
The radio show "Educating Archie" was extremely popular until 1961. Then Peter stopped; he put the dummy in a suitcase and it stayed there for several decades until it was sold at auction six years after his death. Peter Brough - Rob Brydon, his wife - Fenella Woolgar, with Michael Bertenshaw, Thomas Williams-Boyle, Eliza Harrison-Dine, Stephanie Racine, James Lailey, Ewan Bailey, Harriet Collings. Produced by Jeremy Mortimer.
3 Aug: Classic Serial - Eugenie Grandet
2/2. Balzac, dram. Rose Tremaine. After his brother commits suicide, the miserly Grandet becomes guardian to his nephew, with disastrous consequences for the family. Ian McKellen, AlisonPettitt, Shirley Dixon, Anna Calder-Marshall, Harry Hadden-Paton, David Horovitch, Blake Ritson and Jenny Funnell. Produced by Gordon House.
4 Aug: Close Call
By Sarah Weatherall. Comedy drama set in 1969. The Watts install their first ever telephone, unaware of how much their lives will change following its arrival. Ricky Champ, Angie Wallis, Matthew Tennyson, Reece Buttery, Clive Hayward, Elaine Claxton. Produced by Anne Bunting.
5 Aug: The Sensitive
By Alastair Jessiman. 3/3. A mystery in which Thomas Soutar uses his psychic gifts to help find a music student who disappeared a year ago. Robin Laing, Anita Vitesse, Sheila Donald, James MacPherson, Cara Kelly, Juliet Cadzow, John Paul Hurley, Patricia Kavanagh. Produced by Bruce Young.
6 Aug: Psalm
By Nick Warburton. A play inspired by Elizabethan playwright Ben Jonson, who escaped execution for manslaughter by reading the words of a psalm in a church court. Here we have a condemned man in a cell awaiting his execution. Unfortunately he cannot read. John, the condemned man - Jeremy Whitton Springgs, Walters - Kim Wall, Judith - Amanda Root. Producer - Jonquil Panting.
7 Aug: Recent Events at Collington House
By Matthew Solon. The new head teacher of a school in a Midlands town is eager to accommodate all faiths and cultures equally, but a governor wants one of the cultures wants to be more equal than the others. Heather Crany, Neil dD'Souza, Sam Dastor, Tracy Ifeachor, Philip Jackson, Becci Gemmill, Jaz Deol. Producer - John Dryden.
8 Aug: The Lamp
By Linda Cracknell. Rpt. from 14 Dec 2011. In a remote Scottish library, a farmer's widow and a visiting Kenyan librarian bond unexpectedly over a shared love of books. Recorded at Innerpeffray Library in Perthshire, a museum celebrating Scotland's first public lending library. Cast: Elspeth ..... Ellie Haddington, Simon ..... Fraser James, David ..... Ralph Riach. Produced by Eilidh McCreadie.
9 Aug: Saturday Play: Victory
By Gwyneth Hughes. Lord Nelson, Sir William Hamilton, and Lady Hamilton have been living in Italy together. Their triangular relationship comes under public scrutiny on their return to England. Nelson - Ronan Vibert, Lady H - Imogen Stubbes, William H - Stuart Richman, with Fiona Clarke, Seamus O'Neill, Andonis James Anthony, Jonathan Keeble, Sophie Downham. Producer - Susan Roberts.
10 Aug: Classic Serial - The Stuarts
1/3. By Mike Walker. Mike's epic chronicle follows the life of Charles II. When news of Oliver Cromwell's death reaches Brussels, the exiled Charles II plans his return. Charles II - Jamie Parker, James - Will Howard, with Paul Hilton, Adam T Wright, Michael Bertenshaw, Clive Hayward, Alun Raglan, Matthew Watson, David Cann. Producers: Jessica Drongoole and Sasha Yevtushenko.
11 Aug: How to Say Goodbye Properly
By E.V.Crowe. Lucy feels as if she's been in the army her whole life. Her father swears that this is their last posting, but she has heard it so many times before. Lucy - Ellie Kendrick, Angela - Hermione Norris, Martin - Stuart McQuarrie, Toby - Alex Lawther. Producer - Abigail le Fleming.
12 Aug: The Sensitive - A Nobody
By Alastair Jessiman, Thomas Soutar suffers a crisis of confidence as he helps police track down a serial killer, but when his old girlfriend Kat persuades him to take a break, he is convinced that the murderer is after them. Thomas - Robin Laing, Kat - Daniela Nardini, with Iain Robertson, Sheila Donald, Simon Tait and Suzanne Donaldson. Producer - Bruce Young.
13 Aug: The Good Listener
By Fin Kennedy. The intelligence agency GCHQ tracks three young Muslims as they head for Syria. Owen Teale, Pollyanna McIntosh, Ashley Kumar, Alison Newman, Richard Maxted, Dominic Hawksley, Faraz Alauddin, Ahmed Malik, Ali Malik. Producer - Boz Temple-Morris. Indie (Holy Mountain).
14 Aug: Nocturne
By Margaret Wilkinson. Ex-pianist Anna is haunted by the secrets she has kept since she was very young. When her daughter Judith becomes her carer, the lack of communication which existed between them gets steadily worse. Anna - Julia McKemzie, Judith - Deborah McAndrew, pianist - Emily Hooker. Producer - Nadia Molinari.
15 Aug: Brief Lives
By Tom Fry & Sharon Kelly. Another set of excellent legal tales, from the point of view of a team of legal advisers working in Manchester. Frank Twist is recovering from a stroke and desperate to return to work, whilst Sarah's beauty parlour seems to be harbouring a secret. Frank - David Schofield, Sarah - Kathryn Hunt, Ronnie - Rachel Austin, Cheryl - Mandy Symonds, with Sarah Lam, Vera Chok, James Quinn. Producer - Gary Brown.
16 Aug: Saturday Play - Murder under Trust: the Massacre at Glencoe
By Adrian Bean. The 1692 massacre of Glencoe saw soldiers billeted in the homes of the powerful MacDonald clan rise up and murder their hosts. Drawing on contemporary documents and historian John Prebble's book Glencoe. The play explores the motive behind the killings. Narrator: Tamara Kennedy, John Hay, the Marquis of Tweedale - John Buick, Col. John Hill - Brian Pettifer, Lt. Col. James Hamilton - Jordan Young, Robert Campbell - Matthew Zajac, with Paul Young, Martin McBride, Julie Duncanson, Iain Robertson, Anne Lacey, Stewart Campbell. Producer - Bruce Young.
17 Aug: Classic Serial: The Stuarts
2/3. By Mike Walker. 'The Long Lease of Pleasant Days'. Charles II fathered a dozen illegitimate children, but his wife Queen Catherine was unable to produce an heir. The play tackles the thorny issue of succession. Charles II - Pip Torrens, James, Duke of York - James Fleet, George, Marquis of Halifax - Clive Hayward, James Scott, Duke of Monmouth - Alex Waldemann, with Olivia Ross, Stephanie Racine, Elaine Claxton, David Cann, Damian Lynch, Michael Bertenshaw, Mark Edel-Hunt. Producers: Marc Beeby and Sasha Yevtushenko.
18 Aug: The Vicar, the Automaton and the Talking Dog
By Lavinia Murray. A fact-based drama chronicling a day in the life of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. It is set in the engineer's childhood and focuses on how his mother's impending deafness led him to his ground-breaking discovery. Aleck - John Bell, Ben - Keir Beckwith, Rev. McReady - Stuart McQuarrie, with Seamus O'Neill, Morag, Stephen Fletcher. Producer - Pauline Harris.
19 Aug: The Sensitive - A Casualty of War
By Alastair Jessiman. Thomas Soutar is intrigued when his mother is asked to manage a vacant guesthouse by a retired hotelier whose mother disappeared in 1945. The supernatural sleuth decides to take up residence there in an effort to get to the bottom of the mystery. Thomas - Robin Laing, his mother - Sheila Donald, with Julie Duncanson, Paul Young, Edith MacArthur.
20 Aug: The Chemistry Between Them
By Adam Ganz. The relationship between Margaret Thatcher and her former Chemistry tutor, Nobel prizewinner Dorothy Hodgkin, who worked on determining the structure of DNA. The play flashes between Thatcher the student and Thatcher the Prime Minister. A fascinating drama based on fact. Thatcher - Catherine Skinner, Dorothy - Jane Slavin, Alf Roberts - Stephen Critchlow, Tom Hodgkin - Damian Lynch, J.D.Bernal, the communist - David Cann, Pat - Georgie Fuller. Producer - Nandita Ghose.
21 Aug: The Man Inside the Radio is my Dad
By Louise Monahan. A play which describes vividly the difficulties a child faces when her father, unknown to her, is in prison. How will she cope at school? BBC blurb - 'Seven-year-old Chloe worries that her mother is lying when she is told that her father is away on a trip and will not be home for a long time. When Chloe begins to tell people her father is dead, her mother realises that she must tell her the truth'. Charlie Brooks, Trixiebelle Harrowell, Christine Absalom, Jane Slavin, Harry Myers. Producer - Tracey Neale.
22 Aug: Brief Lives
By Nuala O'Sullivan. Legal adviser Sarah is called to defend a man accused of arson, and Cheryl helps Frank with his rehabilitation. David Schofield, Kathryn Hunt, Rachel Austin, Mandi Symonds, Rina Mahoney, Simon Donaldson, Julia Rownthwaite, David Corden. Producer - Gary Brown.
23 Aug: Saturday Play - Martin Beck
By Sjowall and Wahloo, trans. Lois Roth and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth. 1/5; episode title: Roseanna, rpt from 27 Oct 2012. Beck and his colleagues investigate the death of a girl whose body is found in a canal dredger. Beck- Steven Mackintosh, with Neil Pearson, Jonathan Tafler, Garrick Hagan, John Mackay, Lucy Black, Susie Riddell, Harry Livingstone, Amaka Okafor, Jenny Harrold, Patrick Brennan, Robert Blythe, Christine Absalom, Sam Alexander, Lesley Sharp, Nicholas Gleaves. Producer - Sara Davies. 75m.
24 Aug: Classic Serial - The Stuarts
By Mike Walker. 3/3. James II - The Storms of This Deceitful World. Mike's epic chronicle looks at James II's short four-year reign, exploring how it all went wrong before he flead England in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. A policy of religious tolerance and the birth of a Catholic heir resulted in an explosion of political tension and the armed invasion of the country. James - James Fleet, with Clive Hayward, Michael Bertenshaw, Michael Shelford, Jaimi Barbakoff, Alex Waldemann, Jane Slavin, Nicholas Murchie, David Cann, Damian Lynch, Mark Edel-Hunt, Matthew Watson. Producers: Sasha Yevtushenko and Marc Beeby.
25 Aug: Blink
By Phil Porter. Drama about an unlikely love affair between two shy and lonely individuals who happen to cross paths in London. Sophie - Lizzy Watts, Jonah - Thomas Pickles, with Scarlett Brookes, Clive Hayward, Craige Els, Heather Craney and Jaimi Barbakoff. Producer: David Hunter.
26 Aug: The Sensitive: The Protector
By Alastair Jessiman. Thomas is asked to investigate the disappearance of a family friend, who is believed to have taken his own life. The voice in Thomas's head suggests a different explanation, but before he can solve the mystery, he is shocked by a revelation from his own past. Thomas - Robin Laing, Mother - Sheila Donald, Kat - Julie Duncanson, with Anne Downie and John Buick. Producer - Bruce Young.
26 Aug: Walter Now
Repeat from 2009; radio 4 extra. Ian McKellen.
27 Aug: Keeping the Score
By Martyn Wade. Rpt. from 2006. Two men conduct their frienship exclusively within the score box of the local cricket ground. Gerald - David Troughton, Derek - Sam Kelly. Producer - Jane Morgan. Reviewed under '2006 plays'.
28 Aug: A Meeting with Dora
By Don Shaw. The playwright uses a mixture of fact and fiction to recreate a meeting he had with the activist Dora Russell in 1979. She became an active campaigners on women's rights, progressive education, sexual reform and birth control. Dora - Eleanor Bron, Don Shaw - David Schofield. Producer - Pauline Harris.
29 Aug: Brief Lives
By Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly. A lawyer and her daughter are arrested for possession of drugs after a house party, but the paralegals soon discover a host of other motives. David Schofield, Kathryn Hunt, Rachel Austin, Mandi Symonds, Lucy Dixon, Fiona Clarke, Everal Walsh. Producer - Gary Brown.
30 Aug: Saturday Play: Martin Beck, play 2 of 10
The Man Who Went Up In Smoke, rpt. Adaptation by Katie Hims of the Joan Tate translation. Story from 1966. Inspector Beck travels to Hungary looking for a missing journalist. It's a difficult case. Beck - Steven Mackintosh, Kollberg - Neil Pearson, Gunnarson - Justin Salinger, Szluka - Patrick Brennan, with Georgia Groome, Lucy Black, Robert Blythe, Harry Livingstone, Christine Absalom, Amaka Okafor, Joe Sims, Sam Alexander, Don Gilet, Sally Orrock, Lesley Sharp, Nicholas Gleaves. Produced by Mary Peate. 75m.
31 Aug: Classic Serial- Framley Parsonage
By Trollope, dramatized by Nick Warburton. Ep. 1 of 3: Two different sets of people. A bored country vicar, Mark Robarts, leaves his wife and children to attend country house parties, not realising what repercussions are waiting for him. Maggie Steed, Pip Carter (Mark), Charity Wakefield, Kate Buffery, Joe Coen, Sarah Ovens, Nicholas Farrell, Hattie Morahan, Joanna Monro, Clive Hayward, Elaine Claxton, Sarah Sweeney, David Cann. Producer - Marion Nancarrow.
1 Sept: Slipping
By Claudine Toutoungi. Elena and George, two expert liars, meet in a prosthetics clinic. Elena - Charlotte Riley, George - Andrew Scott, with Jane Slavin and David Cann. Produced by Liz Webb.
2 Sept: The Sensitive
By Alastair Jessiman. Queen of the Dead, rpt. Thomas Soutar helps a grieving daughter who has discovered hundreds of cassette recordings made by a woman obsessed with her late father. Thomas - Robert Laing, Kat - Jane Duncanson, Sheila - Tamara Kennedy, with irene MacDougall, Steven McNicoll and Amiera Darwish. Produced by Bruce Young.
3 Sept: Interiors
By Johnny Vegas, Stewart Lee and Rob Thirtle, rpt. A story highlighting the flaws in the British property market in the run-up to the current economic crisis. Johnny Vegas as Jeffrey Parkin, with Ben Crompton, Jo Enright, Catherine Kinsella, Joe Ransom, Rachel McGuinness and Peter Slater. Producer: Sally Harrison; directed by Dirk Maggs and Johnny Vegas.
4 Sept: Dad
By Sarah McDonald Hughes. An 18-year-old boy is given full-time care of his baby daughter for a fortnight. He discovers that it is the most challenging thing he has ever done. The boy - Robert Haythorne, with Sarah M Hughes, Lauren Gabrielle-Thomas, Reece Nol, Flo Wilson and Rosina Carbone. Produced by Charlotte Riches.
5 Sept: Brief Lives
By Lizi Patch. A teenager is questioned by police when an indecent image of his girlfriend goes viral. However, what appears to be a simple case quickly takes a more serious turn. Frank - David Schofield, Sarah - Kathryn Hunt, Ronnie - Rachel Austin, Cheryl - Mandi Symonds, Mark - Terence Mannm, with Gillian Kearney, Ben Boskovic, Graeme Hawley, Hamilton Berstock. Producer - Gary Brown.
6 Sept: Saturday Play: Martin Beck, play 3 of 10
A murder is going after young girls in Stockholm's parks. With only a mugger and a three-year-old as witnesses, Beck has to rely on his intuition to get on the trail of the killer. Translated by Alan Blair and adapted by Katie Hims. Steven Mackintosh as Beck, Kollberg - Neil pearson, Larsson - Ralph Ineson, Melander - Adrian Scarborough, Karin - Beth Goddard, with Katie Angelou, Susie Riddell, Greta Dudgeon, Christine Absalon, Patrick Brennan, Sam Alexander, Don Gilet, RRobert Bylthe, Joe Sims, Harry Livingstone, Amaka Okafor, Kellie Shirley, Lesley Sharp, Nicholas Gleaves. produced by Mary Peate. 60m.
7 Sept: Classic serial: Framley Parsonage
By Anthony Trollope, ep. 2 of 3, dramatized by Nick Warburton. Vicar Mark Robarts (sic) worries that Lady Lufton may find out about the Bill he has put his name to, but she is more interested in plotting with Susan Grantly in an attempt to ruin his sister's happiness.
8 Sept: Greed is Good
By Hugh Costello. Drama-documentary inspired by the recent public inquiry into Ireland's financial crash, exploring the difficulty of leading a virtuous life in a sector which encourages people to make what they can. Produced by Eoin O'Callaghan
9 Sept: The Sensitive - Terma
Part 1 of 2, by Alastair Jessiman, rpt. from 2013. Psychic detective Thomas Soutar tries to trace a journalist who goes missing after compiling a dossier on a criminal family. Soutar - Robin Laing, DI Crawford - Simon Tait, DS Gilhoolie - David Ireland, Kat - Julie Duncanson, with Alasdair Hankinson, Lucy Hollis and Leslie Howden. Produced by Bruce Young.
10 Sept: The British Club
By Ben Musgrave, rpt. Crime drama, in which Bangladeshi detective Mondol wants to avoid upsetting the British expat community when a body is discovered, but finds himself embroiled in the world of unregulated property development, heroin addiction and bribery. Mondol - Sanjeev Bhaskar, KP - Samantha Bond, Superintendant - Paul Bhattachargee, Adam - Sam Pamphilon, Douglas - Peter Hamilton Dyer, Anjali - Susie Riddell, John -David Thorpe. Produced by Sarah Bradshaw.
11 Sept: The Pearl
By John Steinbeck, rpt. The discovery of a large pearl in a Mexican fishing village has a tragic impact on one family. Dram. by Donna Franceschild.Narrator - Gary Lewis, Kino - Kyle McPhail, Juana - Hannah Donaldson, Juan - Robin Laing, with Claire Knight, Simon Tait, Simon Donaldson and Nick Underwood. Producer - Kirsty Williams.
12 Sept: Brief Lives
By Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly. Sarah and her sister argue over the care of their father, with whom Sarah has always had a difficult relationship. Meanwhile, Frank and Cheryl make an important decision about their future. Frank - David Schofield, Sarah - Kathryn Hunt, Ronnie - Rachel Austin, Cheryl - Mandi Symonds, Saul - Stuart Richman, Rebecca - Verity-May Henry, Judge - Malcolm Raeburn. Producer - Gary Brown.
14 Sept: Classic Serial - Framley Parsonage 3/3
A Gift of Fire. By Anthony Trollope, dram. Nick Warburton. More from Barsetshire. Maggie Steed, Pip Carter, Charity Wakefield, Sarah Ovens, Kate Buffery, Joe Coen, Nick Farrell, Hattie Morahan, Adam Kotz, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Charlotte Emmerson, Sarah Sweeney, Elaine Claxton, David Cann and Clive Hayward. Produced by Marion Nancarrow.
15 Sept: Jailbird Lover
By Craig Hawes. Comedy about a socially awkward bachelor who writes to women prisoners he'll never have to meet. Rpt. An excellent play (ND). Charles Dale, Claire-Louise Cordwell, Suzanne Packer, Iestyn Jones and Manon Edwards. Produced by Emma Bodger.
16 Sept: The Sensitive
By Alastair Jessiman, rpt. Episode title: Black Island. An adventure with Thomas and his girlfriend in the Western Isles. Robin Laing, Julie Duncanson, Steven McNicoll, Laurie Brown, Simon Tait, Haris Young. Produced by Bruce Young.
17 Sept: The Man Who Turned Into a Sofa
By Andrew Peters. A true story about a depressed man and a comfortable sofa, and how they came to love one another. Cast: the writer, his woman, and their daughter. Produced by Tim Dee.
18 Sept: The Basin
By Dan Allum, who has written other plays about travellers. A woman who has married a traveller wakes up the morning after her wedding to find her new husband sitting outside their trailer skinning a rabbit. Nina - Ellie Kendrick, Jake - Joe Sims, Daze - Candis Nergaard. Producer - Charlotte Riches.
19 Sept: Brief Lives
By Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly. Legal drama, series, ep 6 of 6. Frank and Cheryl prepare to leave. Cheryl - Mandy Symonds, Frank - Davd Schofield, with Kathryn Hunt, Rachel Austin, Terence Mann, Eric Potts and Isabella Wulff. Producer - Gary Brown.
20 Sept: Saturday Play -Martin Beck
Episode 5. Rpt. from 24 Nov 2012: The Fire Engine That Disappeared. By Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo, translated by Joan Tate, dramatised by Katie Hims. The apartment of a suspect being staked out by Gunvald Larsson explodes, killing three people. Arson and murder isn't at first suspected - much to Larsson's fury - but when it becomes clear that the fire was started on purpose, the case hinges on the needle-in-a-haystack chance of finding a man who fits an impossibly vague description who was somewhere in the area around the time of the fire.
Martin Beck ..... Steven Mackintosh,
Lennart Kollberg ..... Neil Pearson,
Larsson ..... Ralph Ineson ,
Ronn ..... Russell Boulter ,
Gun Kollberg ..... Sally Orrock,
Nadja ..... Christine Absalom,
Mansson ..... Stuart McQuarrie,
Zachrisson ..... Joe Sims,
Stromgren ..... Harry Livingstone,
Hammar ..... Patrick Brennan,
Hjelm ..... Robert Blythe,
Skacke ..... Sam Alexander,
Mrs Borg ..... Susie Riddell,
Ingrid Beck ..... Lauren Crace,
Doris Martensen ..... Keely Beresford ,
Mats ..... Greta Dudgeon,
Narrator 1 ..... Lesley Sharp,
Narrator 2 ..... Nicholas Gleaves,
Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell.
Producer Mary Peate.
21 Sept: Classic Serial: Pinnochio
By Carlo Collodi, dram. Linda M Griffiths, rpt. Broadcast in one episode in the 'Classic Serial' slot. A childless carpenter Gepetto crafts a puppet which comes to life. Gepetto adopts him and imagines a bright future together. It's not that simple in the real world for a boy made of wood.
Pinocchio: Ellis Hollins, Gepetto: Steve Evets, with Lee Ingleby, William Ash, Lyndsey Marshal, Tom Robinson and Jonathan Keeble. Produced by Nadia Molinari.
22 Sept: Ghosts of Heathrow
By Sebastian Baczkiewicz. Psychic adventure based on original research interviews, set in Heathrow Airport, where some ghost sightings have been reported. On the eve of the presentation he has to give at Heathrow, Martin receives a ghostly visitor in his hotel room. Martin - Paul McGann, Rebecca - Susannah Harker, 16-String Jack - Joe Armstrong, Mr. Monday - Dudley Sutton, Geoffrey - Kevin Harvey, producer - Joby Waldman.
23 Sept: The Sensitive
By Alastair Jessiman, rpt.. More from the psychic detective. Title: Underground Man, part 1 of 2. First broadcast 7 May 2014. Glasgow psychic Thomas Soutar helps track down a killer who is hiding in the city's underground tunnels. Part 1 of 2. Robin Laing as Thomas, with Julie Duncanson asKat, Simon Donaldson as Brodie, Finlay Welsh, Stevie Hannan, Finlay McLean, John Shedden, Ann Scott-Jones, Sharon Young. Producer Bruce Young. Second part broadcast on 30 Sep.
24 Sept: White Noise
By Matthew Broughton. Rpt. A rather bleak but ultimately uplifting tale about three residents of Dagenham in the run-up to the Olympic Games in London. Kath - Louise Jameson, Danny - Ricci Harnett, Freddy - Theo Barklem-Biggs, Johnny - Matthew Gravelle, Vanessa / Astrid - Ayesha Antoine. Producer - James Robinson.
25 Sept: Down and out in Auchangaish
By Donna Franceschild. Yet another repeat this week... a comedy about a homeless teenager and firefighting in an isolated village in Scotland. Which reminds me - it's the Poll today; I wonder if Scotland will be independent by the time anyone reads this .... Gino - Liam Brennan, Anna - Wendy Seager, Cal - Kyle McPhail, Ziggy - David Ireland, Natia - Lesley Hart, Peter - Simon Tait, Donnie - Robin Laing. Produced by Kirsty Williams.
26 Sept: Julie
By Rob Gittins. Historical drama about illegal drugs; in particular, LSD. Chemist Richard Kemp found a way of synthesising very pure lysergic acid diamine and thought he could change the world, but the detective Dick Lee was determined to stop him. In 1977 there was a police raid at a rural farmhouse in Wales, where LSD worth £65 million had originated. It was part of 'Operation Julie'. Narrator - Elry Thomas, Richard Kemp - Alex Waldmann, Dick Lee - Simon Armstrong, Christine - Sarah Lloyd-Gregory, David Solomon - Alum Raglan, Fitz - Stuart McLoughlin, Hawkins - Michael Bertenshaw. Producer - James Robinson. Presumably BBC Wales, though RT didn't say so.
27 Sept: Saturday Play: Denmark Hill
By Alan Bennett. Adapted by Honor Borwick. RT:"Bennett's idiosyncratic take on 'Hamlet', originally written as an uncommissioned screenplay". In a leafy South London suburb, 15-year -old schoolgirl Harriet struggles with an essay on Shakespeare. Her dying father is upstairs. Narrator - Alan Bennett, Harriet - Bryony Hannah, Gwen - Penny Downie, George - Robert Glenister, Charles - Samuel Barnett, with Geoffrey Palmer, Malcolm Sinclair, Stephen Critchlow and Cathy Sara. Producer: Marilyn Imrie; directed by Tristram Powell. 60m.
28 Sept: Classic Serial - Rebus: Set in Darkness
By Ian Rankin. Crime thriller, ep. 1 of 2. Dramatised by Chris Dolan. A corpse is discovered during the construction of the new Scottish Parliament building. Whilst police try to identify it, another is found. DI Linford, the rising star of the Lothian and Borders Police, is assigned to investigate the connection between the two bodies, with John Rebus assisting. Rebus: Ron Donachie, DC Clarke: Gayanne Potter, DI Linford: Martin McBride, Lorna: Juliet Cadzow, DS Wylie: Amiera Darwish, with Julie Austin, Lesley Mackie, Douglas Russell and Gregor Powrie. Producer - Bruce Young.
29 Sept: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
By Charlotte B. Macleod. Statastician Liam meets photographer Sadie in a tale of modern-day parenthood, focusing on love, surrogacy and statistics. Liam - Andrew Scott, Sadie - Jeany Spark, Cath - Hannah Genesius, Finn - Karna Majdian. Producer - David Hunter.
30 Sept: The Sensitive
By Alastair Jessiman; Underground Man, rpt, part 2 of 2. The search continues in the disused tunnels, and two men are found dead. Then Thomas's girlfriend disappears. Production details - Robert Laing as Thomas, with Julie Duncanson as Kat, Simon Donaldson as Brodie, Finlay Welsh, Stevie Hannan, Finlay McLean, John Shedden, Ann Scott-Jones, Sharon Young. Producer - Bruce Young.
1 Oct: Amah in the Bathtub
By Judith Kampfner, rpt. Set in Singapore. Women members of a British swimming club are too busy partying to notice domestic problems. Young mother Connie has no idea of the horrible way in which her children are treating the nanny. Flora - Alexandra Williamson, Donna - Amy Warren, Connie - Ruth Moore, with Tom Phelps, Bryn Spender, Suzanne Bertish, Hansel Tan, Margaret Leng Tan, Jane Wu, Hannah Nicholls. Producer Judith Kampfner.
2 Oct: The Conlang of Love
By Lou Ramsden. A young fantasy-fiction reader struggles to communicate in the real world, but when the opportunity to create a new language for an upcoming novel arises she is first to volunteer. However, her dream job takes her on more of an adventure than she expected. Frances - Oona Chaplin, Gethin - Paul Heath, Rita - Lorelei King, Vorgen - Shaun Mason, Jogo - Monty D'Inverno, Keritas - Bettrys Jones. Producer - Nandita Ghose; director Helen Perry.
3 Oct: The Electrical Venus
By Julie Mayhew. Set in 1749. A travelling fair develops an astonishing new act, thanks to Sebastian Fox and his "electrickery". In the courtyard of a country tavern, Mr. Grainger displays the wonders of his menagerie, both animal and human. But now the Hog-Faced Lady has run away, she has to be replaced. His adopted daughter is the one. Mim - Hannah John-Kamen, Alex - Arthur Hughes, Fox - Mark Edel-Hunt, Grainger - Michael Bertenshaw, Lizzie - Jane Slavin, Abel - Peter Burroughs, Old Joe/Count - David Cann. Producer - Emma Harding; sound design - Caleb Knightley.
4 Oct: Saturday Play - Reykjavik
By Jonathan Myerson. Cold War play about the meeting between President Reagan and President Gorbachev in October 1986. There was a very surprising outcome; the Russians offered to reduce their nuclear missile stockpile by one-half. This led to an agreement which aimed for nuclear disarmament within ten years. Reagan: Kerry Shale, Gorbachev - Zubin Varia, Shultz - Colin Stinton, Shevardnadze: Michael Bertenshaw, with Nathan Osgood, Matthew Marsh, Ian Conningham, Elaine Claxton and David Acton. Produced by Jonquil Panting.
5 Oct: Classic Serial - Rebus: Set in Darkness
By Ian Rankin; ep. 2 of 2, dram. Chris Dolan. Rebus compromises himself when he sleeps with the sister of one of the murder victims. Meanwhile, DC Clarke makes inquiuries into the death of a vagrant with £400,000 in his bank account. Rebus: Ron Donachie, Clarke: Gayanne Potter, Linford: Martin McBridge, Cafferty: Gary Lewis, Lorna: Juliet Cadzow, Wylie: Amiera Darwish, Alicia: Lesley Mackie, Watson: Douglas Russell, with Andy Clarke, John Buick and Kenny Bylth. Produced by Bruce Young.
6 Oct: De Wife of Bristol
By Edson Burton. A modern-day tale in the style of Chaucer's Wife of Bath; Clarissa tells stories of unhappy marriage to a young Jamaican woman brought to Bristol as housekeeper to a much older man, but she also has a story. West Indian accents are used throughout the play. Clarissa: Lorna Gayle, Shanti: Susan Wokoma, Harry: Jude Akewudike, Cedric: Cyril Nri, Might Ram: Alex Lanipekun, Wallace: Michael Bertenshaw. Producer: Jonquil Panting.
7 Oct: Tommies: 1/6 7 Oct 1914
By Michael Chaplin, illustrating the events of a real day at war, exactly 100 years ago, based on diaries and eye-witness accounts. The series begins on Mickey Bliss's first day at war as he arrives in the valley of the Aisne. The German advance is being held, 60 miles north-east of Paris. Commentary by Indira Varma.
Mickey - Lee Ross, Walter Oddy - Tony Pitts, Horace Greenwood - Mark Edel-Hunt, Maberley Dunster - Alex Wyndham, Catherine O'Neill - Anneika Rose, Billy Seymour - Matthew Wernham, Alphonse Minet - Michael Bertenshaw. Producer: David Hunter.
8 Oct: The Golden Record
By Duncan MacMillan. Play about Carl Sagan and his colleague Ann Druyan, who greated a 'golden record' in 1977. This was a compilation of contemporary sounds and imiages to be sent into space. The disc represented life on earth and was meant to be a greeting to worlds light-years away. Sagan: Kerry Shale, Ann: Nancy Crane, Linda Sagan: Clare Cage, John Casani: Matthew Gravelle, Tim: Chris Jack. Produced by Polly Thomas.
9 Oct: Rough Magick
By Marty Ross. Play set in 1605 in the Highlands, where the royal playwright Shaxberd saves King James from assassination and attempts to save an innocent girl from being burnt as a witch. Shaxberd: J.P.Hurley, King James: Richard Conlon, Lord Riddrie: Robert Jack, Shona: Sally Reid, Courtier: Terry Wale, McIver: Steven McNicoll, McGlee: David Walker. Producer: David Ian Neville. Rpt.
10 Oct: Beyond Contempt
By Peter Jukes. His account of how he learned to be a court reporter, while live-tweeting the entire phone-hacking trial. Peter Jukes: Neil Pearson, Justice John Saunders: John Rowe, Andrew Edis QC: Michael Bertenshaw, James Doleman: Ian Conningham, Timothy Langdale QC: Nicholas Jones, Sienna Miller: Hannah Genesius, Jonathan Laidlaw QC: Stephen Critchlow, Rebekah Brooks: Jane Slavin, Dan Evans: Shaun Mason, Nick Davies: David Acton, Eimar Cook: Elaine Claxton, Jude Law: Paul Heath. Producer: Mary Peate.
11 Oct: Saturday Play: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
By Robert Pirsig, rpt. A father and son go on a motorcycle journey from Minnesota to California, using the maintenance of the bike to illustrate the unification of technology and artistry. Dad/narrator/Phaedrus: James Purefoy, Chris: Max Cazier, John: Sean Power, Sylvia: Lucy Newman-Williams, Gennis: Caitlin Thorburn, Professor: Paris Arrowsmith. Music by Jon Nicholls; produced by Melanie Harris.
12 Oct: Classic Serial - For Whom the Bell Tolls
By Ernest Hemingway; dram. Ed. Hime, based on Hemingway's experience of the Spanish Civil War. 1/2. Narrator: Colin Stinton, with Patrick Kennedy, Ralph Ineson, Melanie Kilburn, Leah Brotherhead, Michael Bertenshaw, Paul Heath, Shaun Mason, Ian Conningham, David Acton, Arthur Hughes, Monty D'Inverno. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko.
13 Oct: My One and Only
By Dawn King, rpt. A thriller about obsessive love. Layla: Katherine Parkinson, Noah: Carl Prekopp, Ben: Simon Bubb, Amy: Victoria Inez Hardy, Kety: Alex Rivers, Florist: Francine Chamberlain, Mhairi: Tracy Wiles, Jeroen: Adam Billington. Produced by Jessica Dromgoole.
14 Oct: Tommies: 14 October 1914
By Nick Warburton, illustrating what was happening in France exactly one hundred years ago today. Ep. 2/6, based on eye-witness accounts and diary entries. Walter Oddy, a soldier wounded in action, is among thousands who hope to receive medical attention as he arrives at a hospital in Boulogne. Mickey Bliss: Lee Ross, Celestine: Pippa Nixon, Marjorie Blaikeley: Elaine Claxton, Commentator: Indira Varma, Captain George: Clive Hayward, Cyril Walton: Scott Arthur, Walter Oddy: Tony Pitts, Soldier: Mark Edel-Hunt, Sergeant: David Cann. Producers: Nandita Ghose, David Hunter and Jonquil Panting. Director JP. (note that RT incorrectly credited the episode to Michael Chaplin - ND)
15 Oct: Home
By Paul Dodgson, about what makes a home, what sustains it, and what happens when it is about to disappear forever. A fall forces the playwright's 81-year-old mother to consider selling the family home. This is a play which will resonate with thousands of people up and down the country.Narrator: Paul Dodgson, Older Mum: Pameli Benham, Younger Mum: Sally Orrock, Dad: Ewan Bailey. Produced by Kate McAll.
16 Oct: The Man with Wings
By Rachel Joyce, rpt. Period drama. A man returning home after WW2 strikes up a friendship with a village boy, to whom he professes a secret and overwhelming desire to fly. Narrator: Ian McDiarmid, Mireille: Niamh Cusack, Man: Tom Goodman-Hill, Boy: Jo Joyce Venables, with Kate Binchy, Emily Joyce and Alex Tregear. Producer: Gordon House.
17 Oct: Super Chief
By Moya O'Shea. The story opens as the 'Super Chief', a train of the rich and famous, pulls out of union Station in Los Angeles. Nathan, a porter, is shocked to find that his son Benji has also been assigned a job on the train. When things start to go wrong for Benji, he and his father wonder if the harsh conductor Munsden is responsible. Benji: Alex Lanipekun, Nathan: Steve Toussant, Munsden: Morgan Deare, Mr. Drexly: Steven Hartley, with Laurel Lefkow, Samantha Dakin and Damian Lynch. Producer: Tracey Neale.
18 Oct: Under Milk Wood
By Dylan Thomas. The production uses the voice of Richard Burton accompanied by modern voices, produced by Alison Hindell. Sian Phillips, Glyn Houston, Elry Thomas, Mali Harries, Lisa Palfrey, Christina Pritchard, Sion Probert, Islwyn Morris, Wayne Forrester, Iestyn Jones, Andy Hockley, Ruth Jones, Steffan Rhodri, Sara McGaughey, Catrin Rhys, Steven Meo, Sharon Morgan, John Humphrys.
19 Oct: Classic Serial: For whom the bell tolls
By Hemingway, ad. Ed. Hime. From the Hemingway novel, based partly on his experiences of fighting in the Spanish Civil War. Narrated by Colin Stinson. Jordan - Patrick Kennedy, Pablo - Ralph Ineson, Pilar - Melanie Kilburn, Maria - Leah Brotherhead, Anselmo - Michael Bertenshaw, Augustin - Paul Heath, Rafael - Shaun Mason, El Sordo - Ian Conningham, Primitivo: David Acton, Andres: Arthur Hughes, Fernando: Monty D'Inverno, producer: Sasha Yevtushenko.
20 Oct: The Hedge
By Anita Sullivan. A surreal tale about a couple who live peacefully in their private garden, undisturbed by the world and sheltered from it by their large tidily-kept hedge. After an argument with their daughter,a hand emerges from the hedge, and the outside world starts to impinge on their haven. Marion: Fiona Shaw, Richard: Peter Ellis; their daughter: Tanya Franks, Narrator: Dorien Thomas. Producer: Anita Sullivan; directed by James Robinson.
21 Oct: Tommies
By Jonathan Ruffle. Another tale from the First World War, illustrating what happened exactly 100 years ago to the day. Mickey's signal division goes forward with the British offensive, and the soldier's plpan to be a battlefield tourist is interrupted by an artillery captain on a mission. Mickey: Lee Ross, Commentator: Indira Varma, Maberley Dunster: Alex Wyndham, Horace Greenwood: Mark Edel-Hunt, Jacca Nancarrow: Joseph Kloska, Captain Paddon: Damian Lynch, Captain Richardson: Monty D'Inverno, Colonel Firmin: Michael Bertenshaw, Pipe Major Maclaurin: David Cann. Producers David Hunter, Jonquil Panting and Jonathan Ruffle. Directed by David Hunter.
22 Oct: Golden Years: Friedrichstrasse, Berlin
By Sebastian Baczkiewicz. A play about rock & roll. When artist Karin gives an interview about her new exhibition, she reveals the long-hidden true story behind an iconic photo of herself and a 1970s rock star. Karin: Emma Fielding, Petra: Francesca Annis, Holger: Wilf Scolding, Christina: Elaine Claxton. Producer: Marc Beeby.
23 Oct: Golden Years: Monty Street, Mansfield
By Sebastian Baczkiewicz. Another play with a rock & roll motif. A suburban couple discover a dead rock star in their bath. Ezra: Robert J Purdy, Lottie: Esther Coles, Bruno: Ken Bones, Miranda: Jaimi Barbakoff, Shrek: Harry Myers, Maggie: Elaine Claxton. Producer: Marc Beeby.
24 Oct: The Grudge
By James Graham, rpt. A political comedy about the 1997 electoral face-off between two descendants of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval and his assassin John Bellingham. It takes place in Norfolk, in an apparently safe seat for the Tories. Bellingham: Robert Bathurst, Perceval: Stephen Critchlow, Corrine: Christine Absalom, Georgia: Lizzy McInnerney. Producer: Peter Kavanagh.
25 Oct: Saturday Drama: The Shootist
By Glendon Swarthout, ad. Nick Perry (of 'The Loop' fame). A Western set in 1901. The last surviving gunfighter, John Bernard Books, is told by a doctor that he does not have long to live. Word spreads, but the decides to outwit everyone and select the manner and locatiion of his death. John: Brain Cox, Bond: Michelle Fairley, Gillom: Joe Jameson, Marshall Thibido: Craige Els, Charles: Michael Bertenshaw, Shoup: Joe Sims, Norton: Ashley Kumar, Mr. Wooding: Heather Craney, Bartender: Clive Hayward. Produced by Sasha Yevtushenko.
26 Oct: Classic Serial: The Searchers
By Alan le May, from his novel, adpated by Ade Bean. When Comanches kidnap two girls from a Texas settlement, a team of men sets out on a mission to find them. Simon Lee Phililips, William Hope, Kezrena James, Kerry Shale, Marilyn le Conte, Ronan Summers, P.J.Brennan, John Cording, Alun Raglan. Produced by James Robinson. BBC WAles.
27 Oct: The City of Tomorrow
By Glyn Maxwell. The play follows the 100-year history of a garden city. Pippa Haywood, Samuel Barnett, Alex Tregear, Rebecca Smith, Williams and Robin Soans. Produced by Tim Dee.
28 Oct: Tommies
By Michael Chaplin. 4/6. Another authentic day during WW1. The first Indian Army soldires arrive at the battlefields of France (the 9th Bhopal Regiment) and find themselves unprepared and under-equipped for the battle of Neuve Chapelle. Mickey Bliss: Lee Ross, with Danny Rahim, Rudi Dharmaligam, Nicholas Farrell, Indira Varma, Clive Hayward, Sagar Radia, Jessa Ahluwalia, Sam Valentine, Mark Edel-Hunt, David Cann. Produced by Jonathan Ruffle, David Hunter and Jonquil Panting. Director Nandita Ghose. (note from ND ... four producers for one play?)
29 Oct: The Dreamer
By Ronald Frame. Howard Levin, the son of a Nazi Hunter who has just died, tries to retrieve a painting stolen by the Nazis. His search brings him to Nice, where he finds the daughter of the person who stole it. Paulette: Jane Asher, Howard: William Gaminara. Produced by David Ian Neville.
30 Oct: Hancock's Ashes
By Caroline and David Stafford. A drama based on a true event. In 1968, Wille Rushton brought Tony Hancock's ashes back from Australia to Britain. This play looks at what might have happened on the way. Willie Rushton: Ewan Bailey, Brian Foster: Richard Dillane, Danny: Paul Heath, Stewardess: Roslyn Hill. Produced by Marc Beeby.
31 Oct: The Devil's Violin
By Lucy Rivers. A modern fairy tale of magic and murder. (My wife tells me this play was a cracker...ND) ... Sixteen-year-old Hannah leads a miserable life, with a drunk mother and a gremlin child for a baby brother. One night she meets an alluring violinist who plays the most seductive melodies and offers her the chance to fulfil her darkest desires. Note that Lucy also composed the music; it was excellent.... Hannah: Gwyneth Keyworth, Older Hannah: Melanie Walters, Sally: Katy Owen, Old Nick: Adam Redmore, Hannah's mum: Lisa Palfrey. Produced by Helen Perry.
1 Nov: Saturday Play: Lanark
By Alasdair Gray (novel), ad.apted by the author and Robin Brooks. According to RT, "a realist and surrealist exploration of Glasgow", the author's home town. There are two connected tales; that of the art student Duncan, and that of Lanark, who finds himself the newest resident in Unthank, a familiar but hellish city with no sun or sense of time. Lanark/Duncan: Sandy Grierson, Rima/Marjorie: Melody Grove, with Siobhan Redmond, James Anthony Pearson, Robbie Jack, Claire Knight, Finlay Welsh, Sean Graham, Angela Darcy, Liam Brennan, Leo Graham and Alasdair Gray. Produced by Kirsty Williams. 90m.
2 Nov: Classic Serial: The Searchers
By Alan le May, dram. Ade Bean. 2/2. Three years later, Amos and his nephew Mart are still searching for his kidnapped niece, but Mart is worried about how his uncle may react if he finds her. Mart: Simon Lee Phillipps, Amos: William Hope, with Kerry Shale, Alun Raglan, Kezrena James, P.J.Brennan, John Cording, Marilyn le Conte, Fiona Marr. Produced by James Robinson.
3 Nov: Through the Wire
By Helen MacDonald. Dramatized documentray about British prisoners of war who survived imprisonment by the Nazis in WW2 by becoming ornithologists. Arthur: David Bamber, John Buxton: Lorcan Cranitch, Peter Condor: Jay Villiers. Producer: Tim Dee.
4 Nov: Tommies
By Michael Chaplin. The female doctor (rare for those days) Celestine returns from the trenches to find that things are amiss with army medicals, while her husband gets embroiled in the realities of financing a war. Based on diaries and eye-witness accounts from exactly 100 years ago. Celestine de Tullio: Pippa Nixon, her husband: Patrick Kennedy, Commentator: Indira Varma, Gladys Oddy: Laura Molyneux, Henry Montague: Michael Bertenshaw, Harry Bentley: Ben Crowe, Frank Bostridge: Will Howard, Julius Adler: Matthew Watson, Bennett: David Cann, Walter Oddy: Tony Pitts, Field: Damian Lynch. Producers: Nandita Ghose, Jonquil Panting, David Hunter; director JP.
5 Nov: Desecration
By Hugh Costello, set in WW2. The drama was inispired by recently discovered documents showing that Hitler intended to invade Ireland. The play imagines how the first few days of such an invasion would have taken place. It also shows the dilemmas faced by Ireland's leaders when choosing between resistance and collaboration. Patrick Fitzsymons, Dawn Bradfield, Owen Roe, Nicholas Grace, Faolan Morgan and Niall Cusack. Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan.
6 Nov: The Man Who Fell to Earth
By Annalisa D'Inella. The play is based on the true story of a black man who fell out of a plane and landed, dead, on a London street. The three residents of the street who feature in the story are fictional. Giles: Tom Hughes, Rachel: Susan Lynch, Mel: Robin Weaver, Keisha/Jessica: Farzana Dua Elahe, Neil: Rufus Wright, Leonard Cohen: Jack Bence, Alfie: Freddie Park. Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk).
7 Nov: Dream Repair
By Thomas Legendre, rpt. A woman begins using an addictive and illegal device in an attempt to control her disturbing nightmares. Emma: Georgia Taylor, DI Ambrose: David Gysal, Sam: Matthew Gravelle, Chet: Carl Prekopp, Vicky: Lynne Seymour. Producer: Kate McAll, director: Emma Bodger.
8 Nov:The Boy from Aleppo who Painted the War
By Sumia Sukkar, novel, begun whilst the author was studying at Kingston University. Adapted for radio by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle. A boy with Asperger's syndrome makes sense of the chaos in his country (Syria) through painting. His older brothers have to take part in the war, with devastating effects on the family. Adam: Fashid Rokey, Yasmine: Jalleh Alizadeh, Khalid: Noof Ousellam, with Bijan Daneshmand, Amir El-Masry, Adam El Hagar, Ashraf Ejjbair, Abla George, Shazia Nicholls. Producer: Patrick Chapman; directed by Fiona McAlpine.
9 Nov: Classic Serial: The Once and Future King
Dramatised by Brian Sibley in six episodes from the book by Terence ('Tim') White, a.k.a. T.H.White. This is a retelling of the story of King Arthur. In the first episode, Merlyn and Arthur meet to discuss England's turmoil and decide what has forced the country into such a perilous position. The action proceeds in the present and (by flashbacks) in Arthur's childhood. Arthur: Paul Ready, Merlyn: David Warner, The Wart (Young Arthur, before he knows who he is): Edward Bracey, Young Kay (young Arthur's brother): Ethan Hammer, Archimedes: Bruce Alexander, Sir Ector: Michael Bertenshaw, Guinevere: Lyndsey Marshal, Sir Kay: Paul Heath, Lyo-Lyok, the goose: Elaine Claxton, The Ant Controller: Jane Slavin, Tom the Page: Monty D'Inverno, Mustard Pot: Bettrys Jones. Producers: Gemma Jenkins, Marc Beeby, David Hunter. Music composed for the series by Elizabeth Purnell.
10 Nov: Death of a Soldier
By Margaret Evison. The play is a dramatisation of Margaret's account of how she dealt with the death of her son, Lt. Mark Evison, who was killed by a Taliban sniper in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Margaret: Penny Downie, Mark: Tom Riley, Young Mark: Luca Thomas, Soldiers: Ben Crowe, Nurses: Clare Cathcart. Other parts by Ian Masters; newsreader Vaughan Savidge. Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk)
11 Nov: Tommies
6/6; this episode by Nick Warburton. Micky and the exhausted soldiers of the British Army are at Ypres (pronounced 'Wipers' by the English) where no-one is defending a vital breach in the line at Nonne Bosschen copse. Mickey: Lee Ross, Ahmadullah Khan: Danny Rahim, Pavan Jodha: Rudi Dharmalingam, Narrator: Indira Varma, Edwin: Sam Rix, Arthur: Mark Edel-Hunt, German officer: Damian Lynch. Producers for the series: Jonquil Panting, David Hunter and Nandita Ghose; director: Jonquil Panting.
12 Nov: Ink Deep
By Vivienne Franzmann, rpt. Anne has rebuilt her life after a breakdown, and now lives on a beautiful cottage on the Isle of Mull with her new partner and children. She is still struggling to come to terms with the abuse she suffered from her father. Annie: Gillian Kearney, partner Ed: Derek Riddell, Jess: Sarah McDonald Hughes, Leo:Charles Swinford, Jacqueline: Barbara Marten. Produced by Gary Brown.
13 Nov: Planning Permission
By Sarah Wooley. This is a comedy based on the true story of Erno Goldfinger, and his plans to buy a row of Victorian terraced cottages in Hampstead in 1939. Goldfinger wanted to knock them down and build a modernist dream home for himself and his family. Also - E.G. had a connection to Ian Fleming. Erno: Justin Salinger, Ursula Blackwell: Melody Grove, Cecil: Michael Maloney, Audrey: Sylvestra le Touzel, Charles: Karl Johnson, Roland Penrose: Simon Harrison, Henry Brooke: David Seddon, George: Shaun Mason, Evelyn Fleming: Elaine Claxton, Ian Fleming: Monty D'Inverno. Director: Gaynot MacFarlane.
14 Nov: Double Down
Comedy by Sarah Cartwright. Fiona and Steve kidnap her boss's wife to acquire money to pay off gambling debts, but it never occurs to them that she may enjoy the experience, or that her husband will refuse to pay the ransom. Fiona: Lucinda Raikes, Steve: Colin Hoult, Mollie: Daisy Hoggard, Hugo/Darius: Ian Conningham, Russ: Paul Heath, Christine: Bettrys Jones, Miranda: Jane Slavin. Producers: Sarah Cartwright and Sally Avens.
15 Nov: Saturday Drama: The Havana Quartet
By Leonardo Padura, dram. Jennifer Howarth. A detective story set in Cuba; the first of four such tales. Lt. Mario Conde wakes up on 1st Jan 1989 to a case involving the disappearance of his schoolboy rival. Conde: Zubin Varia, Rangel: David Westhead, Manolo: Lanre Malaolu, Josefina: Lorna Gayle, Skinny: Ben Crowe, Tamara: Adjoa Andoh, with David Acton, Hannah Genesius, Bettrys Jones, Jude Akuwudike, Elaine Claxton, Jane Slavin, Ian Conningham, Sam Dale, Michael Bertenshaw. Produced by Mary Peate.
16 Nov: Classic Serial: The Once and Future King
By Tom White, dram. Brian Sibley. 2/6: "The Sword in the Stone". The Wart's remarkable education at the hands of Merlin draws to a close. Arthur: Paul Ready, Merlyn: David Warner, The Wart (Young Arthur, before he knows who he is): Edward Bracey, Young Kay (young Arthur's brother): Ethan Hammer, Archimedes: Bruce Alexander, Sir Ector: Michael Bertenshaw, Guinevere: Lyndsey Marshal, Sir Kay: Paul Heath, The Badger: Elaine Claxton, The Pike: Shaun Mason, Lancelot: Alex Waldmann, Sir Grummore Grummursum: David Acton. Producers: Gemma Jenkins, Marc Beeby, David Hunter. Music composed for the series by Elizabeth Purnell.
17 Nov: The Reluctant Spy,1
By John Dryden. Thriller set in present-day Cairo, rpt from 2 Jan 2013. When approached by a seductive student to deliver a pokitical letter, art expert Duncan accepts. He finds himself walking in glue. Continued on 18 Nov.
18 Nov: The Reluctant Spy, 2
Continued.... The student, Tara, appears to be using Duncan. However Duncan is not as innocent as he seems to be. His past is about to catch up with him. Concludes on 19 Nov.
19 Nov: The Reluctant Spy, 3
Continued... Casting - Toby Whale, Production Manager - Russell Owen, Script Editor - Mike Walker. Sound design - Steve Bond, Music - Sacha Puttnam. Actors: Duncan .... Nigel Lindsay, Ola .... Aiysha Hart, Tara .... Sarah Goldberg, Al-Basiri .... Philip Arditti, Dr Zacoutte .... Raad Rawi, Amr .... Jonathan Bonnici, Hameed .... Karim Saleh, Randa .... Saba Sirene, Kamal .... Jude Edriss, Karl .... Rufus Wright, Mrs Darwish .... Baris Cerliloglu, Mrs Zacoutte .... Myriam Acharki, Policeman .... Nayef Rashed, with. Zayden Khalaf, Jumaan Short , Albert Welling, Omar Mustafa. Director .... John Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk Essential): www.goldhawk.eu. Fuller notes - see 2 Jan 2013.
20 Nov: Higher
By Joyce Bryant, rpt. With fees becoming astronomical and a 20% cut in funding, it is important for Hayborough University, the UK's worst, to keep its recruitment numbers up, so Jim and his colleagues start to panic. (To anyone involved in education, this sounds a familiar story) .... Jim: Jonathan Keeble, Karen: Helen Lederer, Poland: Lloyd Peters, Carla: Natalie Grady, Graham: Rob Pickavance, with Conrad Nelson, Julia Rounthwaite, James Nickerson and Kathryn Hunt. Produced by Gary Brown.
21 Nov: Higher
By Joyce Bryant, rpt. The winds of change, and chaos, blow through the corridors of Hayborough university. The old stalwarts must decide whether to embrace change, resist change and fight for their autonomy, or just hide and hope that it all goes away. Cast- see yesterday's entry.
22 Nov: Saturday Drama: The Havana Quartet
2/4. Havana Gold. By Leonardo Padure, dram. Jennifer Howarth. From the second novel in the Mario Conde series. When a young female teacher at Conde's old school is murdered, the detective is forced to visit some of his old childhood haunts. There's also some love interest. Conde: Zubin Varia, Rangel: David Westhead, Manolo: Lanre Malaolu, Josefina: Lorna Gayle, Skinny: Ben Crowe, Karina: Tanya Franks, Caridad: Elaine Claxton, Andres: Ian Conningham, with Jane Slavin, Monty D'Inverno, Sam Dale, Shaun Mason, Jude Akuwudike, Paul Heath, Michael Bertenshaw. Produced by Mary Peate.
23 Nov: The Once and Future King
By Tom White, dram. Brian Sibley, 3. Rebels led by King Lot and Queen Morgause of Orkney challenge Arthur's claim to the throne. War draw closer, and motives grow for bringing Arthur down. Arthur: Paul Ready, Merlin: David Warner, Morgause: Kate Fleetwood, Lot: Michael Bertenshaw, Archimedes: bruce Alexander, Wart: Edward Bracey, young Kay: Ethan Hammer, Gawaine: Shaun Mason, young Gareth: Roslyn Hill, Sir Kay: Paul Heath, Madam Mim: Jane Slavin, with Ian Conningham and Monty D'Inverno. Series produced by Marc Beeby, David Hunter and Gemma Jenkins.
24 Nov: Lost in Mexico
Indie production by John Dryden's Goldhawk Productions, part 1, rpt. By Ingeborg Topsoe. Two girls deliberately break the law whilst on holiday in Mexico. They rapidly find that the kid-gloves treatment they would face back home in England does not operate here. The girls are unable to speak Spanish and rapidly find themselves sucked into the Mexican penal system. Recorded in Mexico. Rachel ....... Olivia Darnley, Sally ....... Lucy May Barker, Rachel's Mother ....... Saskia Wickham, The Policeman ....... Joaquin Cosio, The Lawyer ....... Enrique Arreola, Eduardo ....... Emilio Savinni, Auntie Claudia ....... Norma Angelica, Ana ....... Aida Lopez, Alejandro ....... Israel Islas, Diego ....... Diego Hernandez, The American Girl ....... Karla Souza, with Brian Alvarez , Ruben Olivarez , Claudia Nin , Patricia Madrid , Sebastian Policanti , Leon Ockenden. Casting: Marilyn Johnson and David Psalmon, Script Editor: Mike Walker, Sound Design: Steve Bond and Rodrigo Hernandez Cruz. Production manager in Mexico: David Psalmon, assisted by Patricia Madrid. Producer: Nadir Khan. Directed by John Dryden.
25 Nov: Lost in Mexico
Conclusion of yesterday's drama.
26 Nov: Mercury 13
By Anita Sullivan. A drama-documentary exploring why two female astronaunts trained in the 1960s were not allowed to go into space. The astronauts concerned were Wally Funk and Jerrie Cobb. Jerrie: Samantha Dakin, with William Hope, Laurel Lefkow, Morgan Deare and Claire Inie-Edwards. Produced by Kate McAll.
27 Nov: Homeowners
By Kellie Smith, rpt. A young couple move into their first home. To their horror they find that they are not the only occupants. Kate: Rebecca Callard, Mark: Graeme Hawley, Penny: Frances Barber, Derek: Russell Richardson. Produced by Pauline Harris; director Charlotte Riches.
28 Nov: My Dad Keith
By Maxine Peake. Steph is approaching 40 and still doesn't know who her father was. RT describes this play as a tale of teenage angst, mid-life crisis and drumming. Steph: Maxine Peake, Carole: Siobhan Finneran, Jeff: Mike Joyce, young Jeff: Nico Mirallegro, young Steph: Rebecca Ryan, Lily: Paul Austin, Grandad: Roger Morlidge. Producer: Michelle Choudhry.
29 Nov: Saturday Play: The Havana Quartet
By Leonardo Padure, 3/4. Dram. Jennifer Howarth. A man wearing a beautiful red dress is found strangled in Havana Woods. Zubin Varia as Conde, David Westhead as Rangel, with Lanre Malaolu, Shaun Mason, Jude Akuwudike, Elaine Claxton, Lorna Gayle, Michael Cochrane, David Acton, Sam Dale, Ian Conningham, Roslyn Hill. Produced by Mary Peate.
30 Nov: Classic Serial: The Once and Future King
By Tim White, dram. Brian Sibley. 4/6: "The Ill-Made Knight". Full of zeal for Arthur's Round Table, Lancelot arrives at Camelot. Arthur: Paul Ready, Merlin: David Warner, Guinivere: Lyndsey Marshal, Lancelot: Alex Waldmann, Uncle Dap: Sam Dale,, Elaine: Hannah Genesius, with Roslyn Hill, Bettrys Jones, David Acton, Elaine Claxton, Jane Slavin (Morgan le Fay), Shaun Mason, Ian Conningham. Series producers: Gemma Jenkins, David Hunter, Marc Beeby.
1 Dec: Behind Closed Doors
By Clara Glynn. 1/3 A Bad Night Out. A series of dramas about a London barrister, Rebecca Nyman. In this first play, a drunken altercation in a town centre leads to a man being arrested, but events are disputed and the case soon becomes one of poor police conduct. Continued tomorrow. Rebecca: Clare Corbett, Charlie: Dan Starkey, Judge: Jane Whittenshaw, Rafid: Danny Rahim, with Ben Crowe, Jane Slavin, Bettrys Jones and Monty D'Inverno. Produced by David Ian Neville.
2 Dec: Behind Closed Doors
By Clara Glynn. 2/3. Excluded. Rebecca represents a 13-year-old student at a School Exclusion Hearing. Testimonies about his behaviour are heard from the student, his mother, the head teacher and other staff. Concludes tomorrow. Rebecca: Clare Corbett, Maryanne Young: Frances Ashman, Sam Stent: Ewan Bailey, Pernille Conley: Michelle Newell, Mr. Hollis: Ashley Cook, Susan Robbin: Cathleen McCarron, Cassius Young: Chase Willoughby.
3 Dec: Behind Closed Doors
By Clara Glynn, 3/3. Catastropic Injury. Jane is fighting for compensation from an NHS hospital because she believes that her baby's cerebral palsy was caused by the midwife being negligent. Rebecca represents the hospital in the hearing. Rebecca: Clare Corbett, Jane: Alison Pettitt, Wendy: Adjoa Andoh, Marcus and Professor Channon: Forbes Masson, Charlie: Neil Stuke, Dr. Wentworth: Elaine Claxton, Judge Cross: Michael Bertenshaw, Professor Leet: Philip Whitchurch.
4 Dec: Tongues of Fire
By David Pownall. Poet William Yeats plans to stage a play by Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, but does not take into account the disruptive antics of Sean O'Casey, a young ambitious playwright. This is a fictional argument between the two Irishmen. William: Dermot Crowley, Rabby: Sam Dastor, Sean: Stephen Hogan, with Jane Slavin as Lady Gregory, Elaine Claxton as mother, Sam Dale as the Lord Lieutenant and David Acton as the priest. Produced by Peter Kavanagh.
5 Dec: The Beautiful Ugly
By Lavinia Murray, rpt. An imagined day in the life of Hans Christian Andersen as a child. Hans begins a quest to save his father's life. Hans: Ellis Hollins, Merman: Jonathan Keeble, Mother: Fiona Clarke, Ice Maiden: Kathryn Hunt, Father: Seamus O'Neil. Produced by Pauline Harris.
6 Dec: Saturday Play: The Havana Quartet
4/4. Havana Black. Leonardo Paduro, dram. Joy Wilkinson. Conde is suspended after assaulting a fellow officer, but his boss is short of staff and so is called back from suspension to investigate the disappearance of a Cuban withUS citizenship who came back to Havana to visit his family. Conde: Zubin Varia, Rangel: David Westhead, Manolo: Lanre Malaolu, Josefina: Lorna Gayle, Skinny: Ben Crowe, Tamara: Adjoa Andoh, Andres: Ian Conningham, with Monty D'Inverno, Shaun Mason, John Rowe, Cyril Nri, Anna Madeley, Nicholas Pinnock and Sam Dale. Producer: Mary Peate.
7 Dec: Classic Serial: The Once And Future King
By Tim White, dram. Brian Sibley. 5/6. The Lengthening Shadow. Penultimate episode of the Arthurian epic. Murder and betrayal. Arthur: Paul Ready, Merlin: David Warner, Guinevere: Lyndsey Marshal, Lancelot: Alex Waldmann, Mordred: Joel McCormack, Elaine: Hannah Genesius, Gawaine: Shaun Mason, Kay: Paul Heath, Gareth: Monty D'Inverno, Agravaine: Ian Conningham, Dame Brisen: Elaine Claxton, Uncle Dap: Sam Dale, Holy Woman: Roslyn Hill. Original music by Elizabeth Purnell, series producers Gemma Jenkins, David Hunter and Marc Beeby.
8 Dec: Quicksands
By Lucy Caldwell, who won the Imison award a few years ago. A family holiday is shattered by some life-changing news and a life-threatening incident. The drama is about the slippery and shifting notions of truth and memory. Tessa: Barbara Adair, James: James Greene, young Tessa: Laura Pyper, young James: Gerard McCarthy, Louise: Amybeth McNulty, Caroline: Clodagh Casey, Angel Clare: Kieran Lagan, Nurse: Mary Lindsay. Producer: Heather Larmour.
9 Dec: The Dog
By Jon Canter. Comedy about a relationship counsellor who is trying to save the marriage of Charlie and Apples, a couple who started out as boss and secretary, but who have ended up as adversaries. Fraser: Richard Wilson, Apples: Jasmine Hyde, Charlie: Patrick Wilson. Produced by Clive Brill, directed by Edward Max. Indie (Pacificus).
10 Dec: The Sound of Roses
By Adrian Penketh. Thriller about two people who have come adrift from their lives ini a sea of globalisation. Alice teaches business English near Grenoble and when Serge asks her for a late-night lesson there's no way she could have guessed what he was planning. Alice: Bethan Walker, Serge: Stephane Cornicard, Michael: Shaun Mason, Ethan: Bettrys Jones. Produced by Abigial le Fleming.
11 Dec: Rumpole
By John Mortimer. The Gentle Art of Blackmail 1/2. Rumpole returns to Oxford, where he studied law, to defend a young gardener accused of blackmailing the Master of the college. Dram. Richard Stoneman. Young Rumpole: Benedict Cumberbatch, Older Rumpole: Timothy West, Hilda: Jasmine Hyde, with Stephen Critchlow, Louis Tafler-Hyde, Faye Castelow, Adam Gillen, Adrian Scarborough and Nigel Anthony. Producer: Marilyn Imrie.
12 Dec: Rumpole
By John Mortimer, ad. Richard Stoneman. Rumpole is asked to defend a doctor accused of murdering his wife, but the physician turns out to be an old flame of the victim. Young Rumpole: Benedict Cumberbatch, Older Rumpole: Timothy West, Hilda: Jasmine Hyde, Erskine-Brown and Owen: Nigel Anthony, Nicholas: Louis Tafler-Hyde, Henry: Adrian Scarborough, with Daniel Weyman, Ewan Bailey and Claire Skinner. Producer: Mariliyn Imrie.
13 Dec: Saturday Drama: Macbeth Remembered
By David Reed and Humphrey Ker. The writers are part of the Penny Dreadfuls, who specialise in light-hearted historical tales based on well-known stories. In this production, Macbeth, the notorious tyrant is seen in a more flattering light than usual. Macbeth: Greg McHugh, narrator: Susan Calman, the other parts played by David Reed, Thom Tuck, Humphrey Ker and Margaret Calbourn-Smith. Producer Julia McKenzie.
14 Dec: Classic Serial: The Once and Future King
By Tim White / Brian Sibley. 6/6 - The Candle in the Wind. Mordred uses Arthur's new laws against him, and long-held secrets are revealed. Arthur: Paul Ready, Merlin: David Warner, Guinevere: Lyndsey Marshal, Lancelot: Alex Waldemann, Mordred: Joel MacCormack, Gareth: Month d'Inverno, Agravaine: Ian Conningham. Series producers: Marc Beeby, David Hunter and Gemma Jenkins. Music by Elizabeth Purnell.
15 Dec: Atlas
By Bethan Roberts. Charlie wants to kick his secret habit and become the perfect male specimen. He can't stop thinking about it. Charlie: GarnonDavies, Daphne: Kimberly Nixon, Tim: Christian Patterson, Sheena: Melanie Walters, George: Kyle Rees. Producer: Helen Perry.
16 Dec: The Giffnock Girls
By Marcella Evans. The play is about three childhood friends who reunite at a key moment in their lives. PJ returns to the family home in Giffnock (outside Glasgow) after a long time in New York to find Gail and Bianca in midlife turmoil. PJ would like to help but has his own personal problems. PJ: Matthew Pidgeon, Gail: Maureen Beattie, Bianca: Julie Austin, Barbara: Ann Scott Jones, Issy: Finlay Welsh, Colin: Steven McNicoll. Producer: Bruce Young.
17 Dec: Pink Boy Blue Girl
By Mateusz Dymek, rpt. A Swedish student interviews a couple attempting to give their chils a gender-neutral upbringing, but begins to question whether their choices are as politically correct as they first appear. Malin: Morven Christie, Hakan: Joseph Millson, Catalina: Leah Brotherhead, Receptionist: Jonathan Forbes, Policewoman: Susie Riddell, old man: Karzan Sherabayani. Produced by Sally Avens.
18 Dec: Ebola
By Mike Walker. Mike's dramatization of the true story of the discovery in 1976 of the deadly Ebola virus. Following the death of a Belgian nun, a team of brave virologists was flown deep into the rainforest of Zaire to study and fight the virus with only rudimentary equipment. The play is narrated by a member of that team, Prof. Peter Piot, who went on to run the UN Aids programme. He is now director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Peter Piot, Jude Owusu, William Hope, Tracy Wiles, Nathaniel Martello White and Martin T. Sherman. Producer: David Morley; director: Dirk Maggs.
19 Dec: Dogfood Diary
By Laura Bridgeman and Charles Lambert. 12-year-old Dan is left alone at Christmas, which seems great at first, but Christmas is coming and there's no sign of Mum. Where is she? Dean: Daniel Kerr, Shauna: Millie Innes, Tommy: Kieran Lynch, Peg / Fiona: Wendy Seager, Mum & Mrs Burgess: Julie Austin, Craig / Kyle / Headmaster: Kenny Blyth, Bruce: Sean Graham, Curtis: Leo Graham. Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane.
20 Dec: Saturday Drama: A Christmas Carol
A new version of the Scrooge tale, adapted for actors, singers and orchestra by Neil Brand, recorded before an audience. Musical bits preformed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Singers. Scrooge: Robert Powell, Ghost of Christmas Past: Sophie Thompson, Marley: Ron Cook, Mrs. Fezziwig: Tracy-Ann Oberman, Mr. Fezziwig: Patrick Brennan, Fred: Shaun Mason, Bob Cratchit: Paul Heath, Mrs. Cratchit: Hannah Genesius, Tint Tim: Bettrys Jones. Producers: David Hunter and Ann McKay. Repeated New Year's Day on R3. 90m.
21 Dec: Classic Serial: The Small House at Allington
By Trollope; fifth section of The Barchester Chronicles, dram. Michael Symmons Roberts. 1/3. Adolphus Crosbie arrives. Mrs. Baxter: Maggie Steed, Lily Dale: Scarlett Alice Johnson, Johnny Eames: Samuel Barnett, Crosbie: Blake Ritson, Bell Dale: Lisa Brookes, Squire Dale: Clive Mantle, Mrs. Dale and Mrs. Hearn: Alexandra Mathie, Cradell: Griffin Stevens, Bernard: Henry Devas, Amelia: Emily Pithon. Music by David Robin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant. Producer: Charlotte Riches. Director: Gary Brown.
22 Dec: Pilgrim, series 6
A new series of four plays by Sebastian Baczkiewicz, featuring the immortal wanderer, William Palmer, also known as Pilgrim. Ep. 1 series 6: Jackson's Mill. He discovers that an old friend is being haunted by a malevolent spirit. Meanwhile, homeless people are disappearing from a local shelter. William: Paul Hilton, Morgan: Justin Salinger, Hartley: Matthew Tennyson, Liam: Shaun Mason, Karen: Bettrys Jones, Gabriel: Paul Heath, Gaynor: Jane Slavin, the girl: Agnes Bateman. Producer: Marc Beeby.
22-26 Dec ADDITIONAL SERIES: GOOD OMENS
By Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, adapted by Dirk Maggs, produced by Heather Larmour. The Demon Crowley is tasked with the delivery of a rather special baby to St. Beryl's hospital, initiating a chain of events which will lead to Armageddon. Six mainly 30m episodes appearing at irregular times through the week. BBC Northern Ireland.
Ep.1 and 2: Mon 22 Dec, 11pm & 11.30 pm
Ep.3: Tues 23 Dec, 11.30pm
Ep.4: Thurs 25 Dec, 11.30pm
Ep.5: Fri 26 Dec, 11.27pm
Ep.6:Sat 27 Dec, 2.30pm (this episode 60m)
23 Dec: The Big Broadcast
By Neil Brand; a musical. It's 1932, and the Chicago Beefsteak Hour Of Charm is the most successful programme on Midwest American radio. Husband-and-wife songwriting team Grant and Jean need a new song to save the day; then Grant gets into trouble with gangsters. Jean: Josie LawrenceGrant: Nigel Harman, Arthur: Sam Dale, Brannigan: Sean Baker, Myrna: Joanna Monro, Sadie: Jane Whittenshaw, Billy: Stuart McLoughlin. Producer: David Hunter.
24 Dec: The Big Broadcast
More musical drama by Neil Brand. It's 1933 and radio statiion WKAZ Chicago delivers live radio every day from its theatre. Today the Dusenberg House Of Charm is threatened by the loss of its sponsor. The arrival of a new owner leads to a new way of running things, which upsets the regular crew. (Sounds a very familiar story - Ed). Part 1 of 2; concluded on following day. Samantha Spiro, Sam Dale, Ewan Bailey, Barbara Barnes, Jane Whittenshaw, Paul Heath, Roslyn Hill, Monty d'Inverno, Jim Norton, Bettrys Jones, Ian Conningham. Music by Neil Brand, with singers Helen Neeves, Vanessa Heine, Edward Saklatvala and John Ward. Producer: David Hunter. 45m.
25 Dec: The Big Broadcast
It's Christmas Eve 1933. Radio station WKAZ Chicago has promised to deliver live radio every week from its theatre, but there's a snowstorm. Can they still deliver? Musical by Neil Brand. Cast and production details as yesterday.
26 Dec:Blithe Spirit
An old favourite by Noel Coward, with a new slant. It's a play within a play, directed by Linda Snell, who's in charge of Ambridge's Am Dram group. She brings a chill to this production as she directs and stars in it. Lynda finds much sympathy with the eccentric medium Madame Arcati and her efforts to conjure some seasonal high spirits. The adaptation is by Sean O'Connor. Charles/Douglas Herrington: Julian Rhind-Tutt, Ruth/Helen Archer: Louiza Patikas, Elvira/Fallon: Joanna Van Kampen, Madame Arcati/Lynda Snell: Carole Boyd, Dr. Bradman/Oliver Sterling: Michael Cochrane, Mrs. Bradman/Carol Tregorran: Eleanor Bron, Edith/Susan Carter: Charlotte Martin. Producer: Sean O'Connor.
27 Dec: Good Omens
Part 6 (see 22 Dec entry for dates of episodes 1-5)).By Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs. As Azirphale and Crowley, the Witchfinder Army and the Horsepersons of the Apocalypse descend on Lower Tadfield, the fate of the Earth rests on the shoulders of Adam Young. Cast list far too long to include here, but it includes Mark Heap, Peter Serafinowicz, Josie Lawrence, Phil Davis, Ben Crowe, Tracey Wiles, Jim Norton, plus a few BBC personalities as themselves. Producer Dirk Maggs; Indie (Perfectly Normal).
28 Dec: Classic Serial: The Small House at Allington
Part 2 of 3. By Trollope, dram. Michael Symmons Roberts. Maggie Steed, Scarlett Alice Johnson, Sam Barnett, Blake Ritson, David Bamber, Alexandra Mathie, Clive Mantle, Griffin Stevens, Lisa Brookes, Paul Westwood, Henry Devas, Emily Pithon, Hamilton Berstock. Music by David Robin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant. Produced by Charlotte Riches; director Gary Brown.
29 Dec: Pilgrim
By Sebastian Baczkiewicz. 2/4: St. Lewin. In search of silver and gold, Pilgrim comes to St. Lewin, where an old enemy is causing havoc. Pilgrim - Paul Hilton, with Janice Acquah, Zubin Varia, Helen Longworth, Ian Conningham, Paul Heath, Shaun Mason, David Acton, Bettrys Jones, Agnes Bateman. Producer: Marc Beeby.
30 Dec: Memories of a Cad
By Roy Smiles. A comedy drama about a meeting between Terry Thomas and Richard Briers in Majorca in 1984, when the younger star met the veteran actor. Terry-Thomas: Martin Jarvis, Richard Briers: Alistair McGowan, Belinda Cunningham: Laura Shavin, Spender Tracy: Lewis Macleod. Produced by Liz Anstee.
31 Dec: The Meet-Cute
By Ben Lewis. When his agent threatens to leave him, an unknown horror writer makes one last bid for success. He teams up with the girl next door to learn the rules for writing the perfect rom-com. Can they avoid the biggest cliche of all - falling in love? Him - Mackenzie Crook, Her - Rosie Cavaliero; other parts played by Anna Crilly. Sound by Elena Pena; produced by Lu Kemp.